Preciosa
by JohnGreenGirl
Summary: At the age of ten, Maisie Thompson saw a vampire...she just didn't know it at the time. She also didn't know that, several years later, that first vampire would connect her to another down the line: One Jasper Hale, to be exact.
1. Prologue

**-Prologue-**

* * *

I met a vampire when I was ten, but I didn't know it at the time.

I was home alone—not for long; my parents had only gone down the road to my aunt's, to pick up some mail that had ended up at her house. My brother was at a friend's house for the day. My parents weren't gone but five minutes. I can't blame them for thinking nothing would happen in such a small amount of time.

As soon as my parents left the driveway, there was a knock at the door. It was late November, and already dark even though it was only six in the evening.

To my ten-year-old brain, there was nothing wrong with opening the door. I knew everyone in town, anyway. None of my fellow citizens of Tatum, New Mexico, would cause me harm, I was sure.

But when I opened the door, there was a stranger standing on our porch. A petite woman with tan skin and long, dark hair. Despite the cold, she was wearing a tank top with no jacket, and sandals on her feet.

When she smiled at me, her cheeks lifted, but there was no light in her flat, black eyes. She would have been lovely, save for this one detail.

The woman opened her mouth to speak. Growing up in New Mexico, I was able to understand a fair bit of Spanish, though I wasn't good at speaking it. This woman spoke Spanish, but I understood her question.

 _My car's overheating. Do you have any water?_

Her voice was raspy, but sweet. Almost musical. It was an innocent question, but her voice coupled with her black eyes sent a shiver down my spine. Numbly, I nodded at her and asked her to wait— _uno momento_ —before shutting and locking the door. I took a water bottle from the fridge and handed it to her. I kept the door mostly closed, like a shield over my body, only my head poking out.

 _Preciosa_ , she called me. Precious. _Won't you come with me?_

I shook my head at her. No, I would not. This made her laugh. When the woman spoke again, she had switched to English.

 _You really are too young, anyway. I would only get in trouble._

She was faster than any person I had ever known. Before I could back away, her hand reached out, fingernail cutting into my cheek. The cut burned in a way I had never felt before.

Again, too fast for me to react, the woman leaned in and kissed my cheek softly. She smiled at me one more time, my own blood staining her lips.

 _I'll see you again one day, preciosa._

She licked my blood from her lips and the change in her eyes was instantaneous. No longer were they black, but as red as the blood she cleaned from her mouth.

One moment, she was on my porch. The next, she was gone. My only proof of this happening was the burning cut on my cheek.

I didn't see the woman again for eight years.

* * *

 **A/N** : This little story I've been writing has been a catharsis for me as of late. I've been going through a hard time, and I don't know why my mind turned to Twilight characters... but here we are. I've always had a soft spot for Jasper. It's been fun as well as calming to explore him through this. Read if you like, review if you like.


	2. Chapter One

**-Chapter One-**

* * *

My family moved to Forks shortly after my mysterious encounter with the woman on the porch. By the time we made the flight, the scratch on my cheek had healed to a thin, silvery line. I told my parents—and anyone else who asked about the scar—that it was done by one of our cats. That I had broken up a fight between the two and got a battle scar myself.

Mom rinsed the cut religiously with hydrogen peroxide, worried that I would get cat scratch fever. The burn of the peroxide paled in comparison to the burn when the cut was fresh. As it healed, though, so too did the burning. By the time it scabbed over, it was just like any other run of the mill cut.

All it took was one full year in Forks for me to forget the words the woman spoke to me that night. The scar served only as a reminder of a hazy memory that I wasn't quite sure happened. I liked it this way.

* * *

"Let's go, Maisie!" Mike Newton's words were punctuated by the blare of his horn. He was lucky my parents were already at work, and he didn't wake them up. When I got to the car, Mike was laughing.

"Who let you have a license, again? _And_ a car?" I knew the answer to the car question. Mike's parents had gifted it to him at the end of our sophomore year when our class at Forks High had successfully gotten their driver's licenses.

He had the car all summer, but that didn't stop Mike from showing off by offering us rides for the first day of our junior year. Tyler and Jessica were already in the car when I slid into the back behind Mike.

"Still jealous?" Mike asked me, but I rolled my eyes at him. Was I jealous of his dented Mom van? _No._ But Mike's car was the only one that would fit all of us. For whatever reason—probably just as a cover to go to school with Mike—it was crucial to Jessica's happiness that we all start our junior year together.

" _Jealous_ and _Mike Newton_ are contradictory statements, my friend." Tyler's teasing from the front seat drew the attention away from me. With peace now in the backseat, Jessica tapped my arm, so I could look at her 'First Day Outfit'.

"Is that the dress from Port Angeles?" Jess and I went back-to-school shopping last weekend. We tried on so many clothes, though, that I was having a hard time placing the square-necked, lacy pink dress.

When Jess nodded, her wild curls went everywhere. I've always been jealous of Jess' hair. Not only was it fabulously curly, but it was a shining chocolate brown. I much preferred it over my own straight, sandy hair that was never quite blonde but never quite brown.

"I almost wore the turquoise top with jeans instead, but I liked this better." Jess gave me a once-over, taking in my own denim skirt and long-sleeved purple shirt. I was wearing what my friends called my 'New Mexico' scarf, because it had sugar skulls printed on it. Six years in the rainy state of Washington, and I still couldn't give up my former desert home.

She gave me a nod of approval before tipping her head towards Mike.

"Check out Mike's new 'do. He's such a dork." Jessica was such a faker. We all—and by all, I meant _all of Forks High, except for Mike_ —knew that the had a crush on him. Still, I giggled with Jessica over Mike's new spiky hair. If he wanted it to make him look older, it wasn't working. It just brought out his baby face.

It didn't take us long to get to Forks High. Nothing was ever truly far away in Forks.

"You owe me five bucks," Tyler pointed to the silver Volvo that had stuck out like a sore thumb in Forks High's parking lot since last year. "I told you the Cullens would be back."

I rolled my eyes at the back of their seats and grabbed my bag. The Cullen kids were nice, but they kept to themselves a lot, and I didn't blame them. I had been in Forks for four years before people stopped calling me new girl, and that was only because the Cullens had moved to town.

I made it a point to be nice to the Cullen kids, since nobody else bothered to. Most of my classmates couldn't even keep their names straight. _There's so many_ , they would say.

But it was simple. Rosalie and Jasper were the twins, both tall and blonde and lovely. Emmett was big, burly, and had wonderful dark ringlets. Alice was like a tiny pixie, with a huge smile that light up whole rooms when she let it out. Edward always looked broody, and his copper hair somehow managed to shine despite the lack of sun in Forks.

I made a point of smiling at the Cullen kids as Mike, Tyler, Jess, and I made our way into the school. Only Alice and Emmett smiled in return, but I didn't mind.

"Hey, Ty," I bumped my hip into his. Or, into Tyler's thigh. He was a lot taller than me. "When are you gonna ask Lauren out?"

My question brought a red hue into his dark cheeks. Jessica had a crush on Mike. Tyler had a crush on Lauren. I was comfortably immune to teasing for the time being—Chris and I broke up over the summer. Even though I was entirely over it, Jessica and I had played it up that I was _devastated_ about his moving to Seattle.

Sometimes I did miss Chris. He had been a good boyfriend. Sweet. We had fun together, and I had loved the dramatic contrast of his dark hair and light hazel eyes.

"You don't have to say it so loud, Maisie," Tyler grumbled at me. He acted like secrets were able to be kept in this town. Everyone knew everyone's business.

"I just want to make sure I have a front row seat, is all. Let me see your schedule again." Something I was truly devastated about was that Jess and I only had one class together this year: junior year Washington state history. I had trig and earth science with Tyler, at least. I was certain I wasn't going to have any friends in Spanish III, and so far, I had been right.

"Not all of us went into Spanish I last year with background knowledge and got bumped up immediately," Tyler reminded me when I groaned over the fact.

"I can't help that I grew up listening to it! I'm gonna be all alone, with seniors." The way Forks High's foreign language credits worked was that you started taking them as a sophomore and continued from there. Spanish or French I as a sophomore; Spanish or French II as a junior; Spanish or French III as a senior.

"You were all alone with them last year when they were juniors, too." Tyler really didn't need to be so logical. It was more fun—and more cathartic—to complain to Jess, but she was busy following Mike to their shared English literature class.

"Okay, whatever. Let's go get this trigonometry over with, Ty."

I looped my arm through his as we walked to the 'math building', otherwise known as Building 2.

* * *

At lunch, Lauren sat herself at the head of the table and flipped her corn silk hair over her shoulder. Lauren had always thought of herself as our leader of sorts, which worked fine for Jessica and Tyler, who both worshiped the ground that Lauren walked on.

It only ever made me, Angela, and Ben laugh quietly to ourselves.

"I think we should go to La Push while it's still warm enough to swim." She turned her attention to me, light eyebrows arched. "Did you ever learn to swim, Maisie?"

I rolled my eyes at her. She knew the answer to that question.

"Leave her alone, Lauren. You know that Maisie likes the tidepools better than swimming, anyway." Angela was always quiet and mild-mannered…except when it came to Lauren. There was a weird kind of respect between the two. You wouldn't expect a girl like Lauren Mallory, who emulated Regina George, to be friends with the kind, bookish Angela Webber.

"Six years in, and my idea of warm is still entirely different from y'all's, anyway." I never considered the Pacific Ocean warm enough to swim in. The desert I had grown up in was still settled deep in my bones, I guess.

"Anyway," Lauren continued, like Angela and I hadn't said anything. My six years in Forks had also taught me to ignore Lauren more often than not. Her ego was healthy enough, thanks to Jessica, Tyler, and some underclassman girls, that Lauren never noticed. "I think we should go this Saturday. A back-to-school kind of thing."

I did like the salty sea breeze and the driftwood fires—and the tidepools, like Angela had said. To Jessica's dismay, I had no problem dipping my hands into the pools and picking up the starfish and sea urchins that lived there. One time I picked up a baby octopus from a tidepool, and Jessica nearly had a conniption fit. Our plans for Saturday were all wrapped up before the lunch bell rang.

I was still thinking about what I would wear when I walked into Señora Marquez's Spanish III class. _Bienvenido_ , said the banner above the door. _Welcome_.

We were a small class, these seniors and myself. To no one's surprise, there was not much need for Spanish in this tiny, rainy, Northwestern town. We should have been learning Quileute. It would have been more useful to us.

It might have solved the divide between much of Forks, between the townsfolk and the Quileute people.

There was only ten of us in Spanish III. A nice, even number. So, it came as no surprise that Señora Marquez decided to put us into pairs.

"Nice seats you've all picked for yourselves," Señora Marquez said. "They won't be the ones you'll keep all school year. Based on your final scores from Spanish II, I'll be pairing you up so everyone has a partner of similar Spanish skill."

To advance from Spanish II into Spanish III, you had to make at least an 80% on the Spanish II final. Only two years of foreign language credit were required at Forks High, which is why the senior classes were so small.

If you knew you didn't want to do a third year, all you had to do was make sure you fell below that 80% on the junior final.

With only ten kids in our class, I wasn't sure how much variation could really be between our test scores.

"I won't read out your scores, of course, but I am going in order. That should give you a general idea of where you currently stand in this class. Our first pair: Jasper Hale and Maisie Thompson."

I knew who Jasper Hale was. We all knew Jasper Hale, because he was part of the Cullen family. He was sitting toward the back of the room. I turned in my chair and waved at him, smiling at the moment of surprise that passed over his face before he tentatively lifted a hand to wave back.

After the rest of the pairs had been announced, Señora Marquez told us to find seats next to our partners. The desks were already in pairs, so that was easy enough. I had noticed that the Cullen kids all preferred sitting in the back of the classrooms, and with good reason. I made my way to the back, sliding into the seat next to Jasper.

"Hi," I whispered to him. He smiled softly in return but didn't speak.

"This will be the last day you will hear me speaking English in this class," Señora Marquez warned us. "I hope you enjoy it. To get you back into the flow of Spanish, we'll start with sentence exercises today. Tomorrow will begin linguistics."

Jasper and I worked quietly side-by-side. I didn't mind, and he seemed not to, either. I did take quite a few peeks at his handwriting, though. Every boy I knew wrote like chicken scratch, but the edits Jasper made to his sentences were in a fluid, beautiful cursive hand.

When the final bell rang, I followed Jasper to the door, which he held open for me.

"Thanks," I told him. He was tall enough that I was able to walk under his outstretched arm. "I'll see you tomorrow, partner."

"See you tomorrow," he murmured back to me. Those were the first words I had ever heard any of the Cullens speak, and I had had Edward in my history class last year.

I was surprised to hear the soft Southern accent that bled through Jasper's words.

* * *

Okay, here's the other thing. Not only had the Cullens been in Forks for a few years, but they were also our _neighbors_. And Jasper was the first one I had ever heard speak.

"Oh, so they're not a family of mutes?" My brother, Gunner, asked me after school. Gunner and I were what some people called 'Irish twins'. I was only ten months older than Gunner. Our birthdays were in the same calendar year and, no, I never let him forget that I was planned, and he was not. Obviously.

It bugged him to no end that I was a grade above him in school even though we were basically the same age. My February birthday met the cutoff to start school the year we turned five. Gunner's December birthday meant he had to start the next school year.

We were close in age, but me and Gunner didn't look like twins at all. I had Dad's coloring—sandy hair and blue eyes—whereas Gunner took after Mom with his hazel eyes and red hair.

"Don't be rude," Mom chastised him. "With the way everyone talks about them, I don't blame them for keeping to themselves."

Also unplanned was our little sister Ava, who was only four. Mom called Ava her 'angel she didn't know she needed', and Ava fit the part with her sweet red cheeks and pale blonde hair. She rolled her big, gray eyes at us. "Dr. Cullen talks."

Ava only knew that because she had caught the flu last year. It was a bit of a pandemic in Forks. It seemed like everyone came down with it, and the doctors were so stretched thin that Dr. Cullen was the one to diagnose Ava even though he wasn't a pediatrician.

"And Dr. Cullen is a very nice man," Dad added.

I shot Gunner a look. He stuck his tongue out when our parents weren't paying attention.

"I didn't mean it in a rude way," I mumbled. "I was just surprised."

"I'm sure he's a very nice boy," Mom continued, like I had said Jasper was a monster or something. "You know, I've heard Dr. Cullen and Esme took Jasper and his sister in when they were little kids."

I really hadn't meant anything by it. I just didn't know how to explain why it surprised me. It wasn't that he _could_ speak, just _how_ he spoke. I didn't expect that deep voice or that accent from him.

To Ava's amusement, me and Gunner got lectured on and off throughout dinner. I had noticed that while everyone our age was put-off by the Cullens to some degree, the adults in town were quick to defend the family. I almost wished some other new family could move to town by the time we cleared our plates, just so there would be something else to talk about.


	3. Chapter Two

**-Chapter Two-**

* * *

On Saturday, we piled into Mike's van to go to La Push.

I tried to get Gunner to come, but he didn't like my friends. More accurately, he didn't like Lauren. I barely liked Lauren most days, but Gunner _hated_ Lauren. One of his past times was holding his nose shut to make fun of Lauren's high, nasal-y voice.

"You can't eat all the marshmallows before we even get there, Tyler," Lauren scolded him and rolled her eyes. Even with all the room in Mike's van, Lauren just happened to end up sitting in Tyler's lap. It made his face burn a deep red, much to our amusement.

Lauren definitely knew what she did to that boy. I just hoped she wouldn't use him or string him along. It was hard to say how Lauren ever felt about anyone, because she was naturally capricious.

The weather was overcast but balmy—a rare warmth for Forks, this late in the year. My excitement over this fact was great enough that I wore shorts, but also a long sleeve top and I had brought a jacket. I knew better than to be fooled by the weather after so many years.

"Will you help me look for some sea glass, Maisie?" Ben asked me. "I know you won't be swimming. Angela wanted to get some more."

Angela loved sea glass. She collected it, but she had caught a stomach bug on Friday, so her plans to get more were quickly cut short.

Ben and Angela had been dating since the end of last year. They were by far the most mature in our friend group, so I was neither surprised that they paired off nor that they were the only ones who could admit their feelings for each other.

"Sure, Ben. She likes the turquoise pieces best, right? I'm sure we can find some."

While everyone else slipped out of their clothes to reveal their bathing suits underneath, I took only my shoes off and followed Ben down the beach.

"How'd your first week of classes go?" I asked Ben, letting the ocean waves lap over my bare feet. I couldn't swim, but I still liked the feel of the ocean.

"They were classes," Ben gave an easy laugh. "You've been the talk of the school, though. Word on the street is that you got partnered with Jasper Hale for the year in Spanish."

I rolled my eyes. Not even Ben was safe from the mob curiosity that surrounded the Cullen family.

"Yeah, I'm not sure how, though…I don't know what kind of Spanish classes they have in Alaska, but Jasper is completely fluent. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up with him."

I knew Spanish well enough, or so I had thought before Jasper became my partner.

"I mean, like, I'm not _bad_ at Spanish. I think I'm proficient enough to hold a conversation. But he speaks it like it's his first language."

Spanish slipped from Jasper's tongue as if it were completely natural. And his accent n _ever_ got in the way. It was only present when he spoke English.

Sometimes I could almost swear he thought my frustration with his superior Spanish skills was funny. Every now and then I would catch a glimpse of a smile playing at his lips.

"It'll be a good challenge for you, then." Trust Ben to twist it into a positive. I put a piece of sea glass in the little bag he had brought for Angela. "You would have been better than anyone else you were paired with. I bet you'd get bored with any other partner."

"Are you saying Jasper's gonna be bored being my partner?"

Ben laughed and shook his head. "If there's one thing I've learned about you since you moved here, it's that no one could be bored when they're with you, Maisie."

"Aw! Thanks, Ben!"

* * *

Exactly three hours later, I would prove exactly how not boring I am when I decided to chase Mike with a soggy piece of driftwood that looked remarkably like a snake. Mike just so happened to hate snakes.

Naturally, I thought it was funny. Our friends did, too. I could hear Jessica laughing just a little too hard, because laughing at a boy losing their pride is how you let them know you liked them, obviously. My fatal flaw in this endeavor was chasing Mike all the way down the beach, to the craggy outcropping of rocks underneath the cliff diving ledge.

"Maisie, I will kill you." The words were good intentioned, despite their appearance. I knew Mike would never intentionally hurt me. But he did think I had a snake, so I couldn't blame him when he pushed me away from him once I had caught up.

When I fell, I threw my hand out to catch myself. My dad always did like to tell me I wasn't situationally aware. I didn't realize how close we had come to the rocks until my hand landed on a sharp one, cutting into the meat of my palm and up into my thumb.

"Mike!" I yelled for him, because he was still running. There I was, sitting in the shallows, cradling my right hand to my chest and bleeding everywhere. I pulled my sleeve up over my hand, but the water was still turning to red around me.

By the time Mike had gotten to me, I was shaking from the adrenaline of the injury. Salt water burned in the cut, and I was terrified to look at it because it felt awfully deep. Mike hauled me to my feet. He jogged ahead of me, but I could barely manage to shuffle my feet over the sand. The cut was only in my hand, but the pain radiated through my whole right arm if I jostled it.

"What did you do, Michael?" I heard Lauren snap as I got closer. I was sure the blood looked awful. I was wearing a light pink sweater, so there was no way it didn't stand out.

"It's just a cut," I said weakly. I was too scared to look at it. "I think I need stitches though."

In the car, I sat sandwiched between Tyler and Ben in the middle seat. Ben's logic was that I shouldn't be rocked as much driving back up the dirt road we had taken to the beach if I was dead center. Lauren drove, because Mike was freaking out at that point. Since Jessica was so tiny, she hid in the floorboard.

"I'm so sorry, Maisie," Mike said for what had to have been the millionth time.

"I'm not going to die, Mike. I might sue Newton's Sporting Goods, though." It was a joke, but it still made Mike's eyes go wide.

Someone—probably Ben, he was the most responsible—had the forethought to call my parents. They met us at the hospital. My shirt was soaked through with blood by then, making the cut look a lot more serious than it was. I had been holding my hand cradled to my chest, so that the whole front of my sweater was stained red, too.

I thought my mom might faint when she first saw me.

"It's just my hand!" I rushed to say. "It's only my hand, Mom. I'm not hurt anywhere else. It's just bleeding a lot."

That didn't stop her from hugging me so tight and for so long that she ended up a little bloodstained, too. Dad had to keep a tight grip on her hand, so she would stay in the waiting room while I got stitched up.

My hand bled so much, I would later find out, because it had been cut down to the bone. The tendon in my thumb was spared, which was great news. Dr. Cullen said I would have lost mobility of my thumb had the tendon been severed.

The main ligament in my thumb had been torn, but not severed. Also great news.

"You got pretty lucky," Dr. Cullen told me. Even though he was rinsing the salt water and sand from the cut, he was so gentle that it hardly hurt. He was blonde, like Jasper and Rosalie. I couldn't help but notice his eyes were the same as Jasper's, too: a warm, almost golden color.

Was it Dr. Cullen the twins were biologically related to? I could have sworn they were his wife's niece and nephew, but it seemed strange that two unrelated people would share such an unusual eye color.

"I'm not too broken, then?" I didn't even feel when the needle pierced my skin to numb my hand before Dr. Cullen started stitching it up.

"Not too terribly," he chuckled. "But your thumb will have to remain immobile for the ligament to heal properly. These will be dissolving stitches, so we can set a cast over them. Are you right-handed?"

"Do I get out of doing homework if I say yes?" I didn't know how I would write without my right hand.

Dr. Cullen laughed again. "Maybe. I can only write in the doctor's note that you shouldn't be using your right hand for the next six weeks. It will depend on the kindness of your teachers if you get out of homework or not."

The cast Dr. Cullen put on wrapped entirely around my thumb, so that it was held upright and was impossible to move. It also encompassed most of my hand, leaving only the rest of my fingers free, and extended down my forearm.

"Here's the trickiest part." Dr. Cullen tapped lightly on the plaster. "This can't get wet."

It had started raining shortly after we arrived at the hospital. I usually loved the rain, but right then I was glaring at the window.

"I know, easier said than done in this part of the world. You might want to invest in a raincoat with sleeves long enough to pull over the cast."

The only positive in all of that was that I for sure got to go shopping, and I might get out of homework. I also got a prescription for pain medicine that I knew Mom wouldn't fill because she was convinced anything stronger than Tylenol turned you into a junkie overnight.

Sporting my new cast, I followed Dr. Cullen down the hall to the waiting room, so he could give a rundown to my parents and brief them on taking care of my cast. Jess, Mike, Lauren, Tyler, and Ben were still in the waiting room, too.

"I thought your dad might kill Mike," Jess whispered to me. "Idiot fessed up that it was his fault you got hurt."

I rolled my eyes at my dad's overprotectiveness. "It was an accident. Besides, it didn't hurt that bad. It's still numb from all the shots Dr. Cullen gave me."

Jessica's eyes flicked up to the young doctor. "He's just as hunky as his sons, huh? I have no idea what kind of water that family drinks, but it's gotta be good."

I probably would have given her a light smack if it weren't for my cast, but as it was, my dominant hand was temporarily down and out. She got lucky.

"You can stop looking so scared, Mike. Luckily for you, I am not that easy to kill. I'm reduced to only having one hand for the next month and a half, but I guess I'll live."

And truly, my hand didn't hurt until much later that night, when I was in bed. Mom had to help me wash my hair, and a complicated system of plastic bags and tape was required to keep the cast dry while I showered.

I couldn't get comfortable in bed. I liked to sleep on my right side, but that wasn't an option with the cast. I tossed and turned for a long time, but it was no use. I ended up watching Netflix until I was so tired there was no way I couldn't sleep.


	4. Chapter Three

**-Chapter Three-**

* * *

"It's really not so bad, huh? Her smell?" Alice was talking about Jasper's Spanish partner, Maisie. She smelled good—like spring air and wild roses—but Jasper had to admit that her scent didn't light his throat on fire like most humans.

"It's not. Which is good, because I'm forced to talk to her in class." The Spanish teacher gave the students conversation prompts in English, so that they had to translate it into Spanish themselves. While the students talked, the teacher milled around, correcting pronunciation and grammar when necessary.

Alice's laugh rang through the forest. "Is she really so bad?"

Jasper shook his head. Maisie wasn't bad. They had only been partners for a week, but Jasper didn't mind her. Maisie, so far, had always been in a good mood, which was great for Jasper's pathokenetic abilities. Add that to the fact that smelling her didn't make him want to drain her body of blood, and Maisie was easily Jasper's favorite human that he had ever dealt with.

"She's not bad. She's just human." His words made Alice smirk. Sometimes, Jasper wished he had Edward's mindreading abilities instead. Alice was prone to making knowing faces, thanks to her visions, and keeping the information to herself. She had even been known to mask her thoughts from Edward by doing things like translating Latin or very loudly shouting songs Edward hated in her head.

"This is good, though. It really is progress, even if it doesn't feel like it." She meant Jasper's being able to recognize that Maisie's scent wasn't as appetizing as other humans.

"It probably helps that Emmett messed up and didn't buy the whole plot thirty years ago." That's how the Cullens and Thompsons ended up as neighbors. Both families resided just outside of Forks. A good chunk of forest separated their houses, but the distance was nothing for their heightened sense of smell.

They could always smell the Thompsons. Chris, the father, warm and dry like the desert he had come from. Hannah, the mother, soft, dewy. Maisie with her spring scent; Gunner like fresh cut grass; Ava as sweet as candy.

It was funny, every human had a different smell. Most didn't even remind Jasper of his hazy memories of human food. But their individual scent was always overpowered by the burn in his throat that reminded him of the blood in their veins.

Well, except Maisie. A whole week, and he hadn't once wanted to eat her.

"Yeah, Edward's never going to let him live that down. Does he take secret joy in being the technical third oldest, next to you and Carlisle?"

"You know as well as I do that joy's not a secret."

Edward fancied himself an expert in vampire life and self-control, despite what Esme called his 'rebellious phase'. For a time, Edward drank human blood. He used his mindreading gift to single out criminals. He didn't feed on the innocent.

Alice reached a hand out, letting Jasper guide her through the forest as her face went blank. On the rare occasions that humans had noticed the look that overcame Alice's face when she searched the future, they had compared it to someone about to have a seizure.

"You don't _have_ to feed so often, you know," she said once she came back. "I just checked. Even if you didn't feed for a week, you wouldn't hurt Maisie."

"I can't take the chance, Ali." He was trying desperately to be better. Jasper refused to be the reason they moved again. Alaska had gone well, and he was determined that Forks would follow in kind.

It had been six years since Jasper had seen the stupidly smug look on his fake twin sister's face. The one that only came out when Jasper had a slip-up. He never wanted to see that smirk on Rosalie's lips again.

He already knew there would be a snide comment from Rose once he and Alice got back from hunting. Sometimes he swore nothing made that girl happy, other than Emmett.

Lucky for Jasper, he was spared Rosalie's smart remarks. She and Emmett had gone to Port Angeles to get some parts for a car they were restoring. The house was quiet without them. Carlisle was still at work; Edward was softly playing his piano for Esme while the sketched in charcoal.

"Hi," Alice said sweetly, stopping to kiss both Esme and Edward on the cheeks.

"Hunting was good?" Esme asked, her eyes flicking upward. Jasper's nod brought a soft smile to her face. Esme didn't have to say a word for Jasper to know how proud she was of him. He could feel it.

"Are you going to spend the night carefully planning your outfits for the week?" Even though Edward turned his head to look at Alice, his fingers never missed a key.

"Well, it is Sunday, brother dearest." With a swish of her skirt, Alice flounced her way up the stairs.

"Let's go play, Jazz."

 _Playing_ , for Jasper and his brothers, at least, meant wrestling out in the woods where they couldn't break the furniture. All it had taken was one broken window the first year Jasper had lived with them for Esme to ban indoor play.

"Be back in time for school," Esme reminded them. "I know how you two forget the time."

"Edward cheats." That earned Jasper a goodhearted shove before Edward was out the door. He was quick on his feet, and of course being able to read minds helped. But Jasper was the better strategist.

He knew he could cover more distance jumping from tree branch to tree branch than Edward could on the ground. Despite his speed, Jasper was quick to catch up with him. He was careful to time it just right, managing to drop his weight on his brother before he could move out of the way.

They both laughed, and Edward pushed Jasper off him. "Guerilla warfare was a Confederate specialty."

"So you've told me. Many times." This time, Jasper was quick to knock Edward down so he could have the head start.

Something almost like adrenaline filled him every time he and his brothers were out playing. It had taken about a decade, but he loved to play now. It no longer reminded him of a time when all of this meant running for his life.

There was never a day that Jasper wasn't happy he had met Alice in that diner, and he certainly never regretted coming to live with this family that so readily accepted him. Nothing, he was certain, could make his life better than it already was.

* * *

The thing about Jasper's gift was that he was more in tune with people he was familiar with. Namely, his family.

Needless to say, he was surprised when Maisie walked into their Spanish class and he had to hold his right hand rigid to keep from curling it into itself reflexively. The pain was unexpected, though it didn't exactly hurt.

Jasper flicked his head up to see Maisie carefully maneuvering her way out of her jacket, revealing a pink cast on her right arm. Maybe it was the shock of feeling Maisie's pain in his own hand, but Jasper seemed unable to stop the words coming from his mouth.

"What happened?" The surprise was evident on Maisie's face. Jasper didn't typically speak to her in English. Most of their conversations had followed the scripts in their textbooks.

"You know all those rocky parts on La Push Beach? That happened." It must have happened over the weekend. Jasper wouldn't be surprised if the cast were Carlisle's work.

"It's broken, then?" Unlike Edward, Jasper never bothered to study medicine. He had spent the vast majority of his life as a vampire. Past knowing where the blood ran closest to the skin, Jasper hardly knew how humans worked anymore.

"No," Maisie said quickly, before the bell could ring. Señora Marquez's rule was that everyone was only allowed to speak Spanish from bell ring to bell ring. "I cut it open. It tore a ligament, so now I have to wear the cast to keep it immobile while it heals."

"Does it hurt a lot?" Jasper's words were interrupted by the bell ringing. Maisie giggled, a blush blooming in her cheeks. To Jasper's relief, the rush of blood didn't cause venom to flood his mouth.

The sudden color in her cheeks made Jasper realize that Maisie was paler than usual. Despite the constant cloud-cover in Forks, Maisie usually had a slight tan. He was sure the pallid color of her face had everything to do with the injury beneath her cast.

" _Poquito_ ," Maisie told him. He was pretty sure it hurt more than just a little bit. The radiating ache was still throbbing in Jasper's own thumb. Carlisle had told him once that physical healing hurt, and apparently his father had been right.

Maisie kept her right arm resting in her lap the entire class. She was careful not to even move it, as long as she didn't have to. Her concentration rolled off her in waves—Maisie was typically an animated speaker. It almost made Jasper laugh, to see her split her attention between keeping her right arm still and carrying half of their conversation.

By the time the fifty-minute class was over, Jasper was surprised Maisie wasn't entirely exhausted. It was her hand that was injured, but she stood slowly and carefully put on her jacket.

"Your dad did good, though," Maisie said, continuing their pre-bell conversation. "It didn't hurt at all when he stitched it up."

Hearing Maisie talk highly of Carlisle made Jasper smile. Of all his family members, his adoptive father was the one Jasper looked up to the most.

"He's the best." The way Maisie held her arm close to her torso was not lost on Jasper. She cradled it against her chest as they made their way through the classroom.

One part of their routine never changed. After class ended each day, Jasper held the door open for Maisie.

"See you tomorrow, partner." Maisie's parting line of their script was always said with a smile before she sauntered off to join her brother or friends.

"See you tomorrow," Jasper would mumble in reply.

He tried to be surreptitious later in the day, as he let his gaze travel to where Maisie and her brother were walking to their car. The two were like a study in opposites. Gunner toward over his sister, and his red hair stood out among all the gray and green that made up Forks. Maisie's coloring made her look almost made for this place.

Jasper wanted to see if her hand hurt any more or less since he had seen her in Spanish class. Maisie didn't strike him as one to complain. Though he never interfered, he knew that humans of that trait were more liable to end up in a worse situation than necessary due to their refusal to speak out.

He was careful to keep his mind blank while he let himself hone in on Maisie. She still had her arm tucked close to her chest, but he could clearly hear her laughing at something Gunner had said.

The pain in Maisie's thumb was the same as it had been earlier. This fact filled Jasper with relief, much to his surprise.

Before he could stop himself, the thought ran across his mind: _Why does it matter to me if she's okay?_

Immediately, Jasper's eyes went to the rearview mirror, where Edward's met his. The mirth in his brother's eyes was unmistakable.

 _It doesn't matter. Don't look at me like that._ Though the words were only in his mind, Jasper made sure to direct them fully at Edward.

"Okay," came the soft answer from the driver's seat. "If you say so."

All of them were used to communicating with Edward in this way. Half-private conversations, with one part taking place in the mind and Edward's replies coming verbally. It had been going on for so long that none of them even questioned it.

For which Jasper was immensely thankful.


	5. Chapter Four

**-Chapter Four-**

* * *

Keeping my cast dry in Forks, Washington proved to be a special kind of hell.

"You've always been so needy." Before we could leave for school on Thursday, Gunner had to help me wrap my cast in an air-tight layer of plastic. Or, water-tight, I guess I should say. It was a damn _deluge_ outside.

"It's because some jerk decided to steal my thunder when I was ten months old." In true Gunner fashion, he used duct tape to seal the edges of his handy work. I also couldn't drive with the cast on because it hurt to put any pressure on my hand, despite the protective covering.

Being the older sibling, I had my full license. Gunner only had a permit.

I mean, _technically_ , a driver with a permit could drive if their passenger was a licensed driver. We were just ignoring the fact that I was sixteen and the age requirement was supposed to be twenty-one. Our parents hadn't even minded, not really.

" _If Gunner crashes your car, that's on you, Maisie Daisy_." Dad only ever called me 'Maisie Daisy' when he thought I was making bad choices. The nickname had annoyed me when I was a kid, and over time it stuck as something he used as a warning.

We didn't have much other choice, though. Dad was out of the house and off to work before sun-up every morning, and Mom scrambled enough trying to get herself ready for work and Ava ready for preschool.

"Shut up. Alright, let's make a run for it, you invalid."

I loved the rain, but sometimes it was just too much in Forks. Even with our raincoats, boots, and umbrella, Gunner and I were soggy by the time we ran the couple of yards between the front door and my car.

Gunner really was a good brother. He cranked the heat all the way up for me as soon as the doors were shut.

"What even happens if you get all waterlogged?" I fiercely hoped that Gunner could get us to school without hydroplaning on all the rain water building up in the streets.

"Uh, Dr. Cullen would be disappointed in me and I guess I would get a new cast." Probably another stupid tetanus shot, too. I did have a freaking wound under there. "Try not to flood my car, please."

I tried my best not to make faces while Gunner drove. Like everything else he did, when Gunner was behind the wheel, it was always with a lackadaisical attitude. Wide, lazy turns. It was practically a guessing game as to if he would stop in time.

Dad drove exactly the same way. Mom and I always rolled our eyes when Dad would complain about Gunner's driving, because it wasn't like the apple had fallen that far from the tree.

We repeated our mad dash to the front door of the school.

"You're lucky the breezeways are covered, because there's no way in hell I was gonna follow you around school with this umbrella."

I rolled my eyes at my brother. "You're such a gentleman, Gunner. No wonder you've had so many girlfriends."

If I wasn't already in a cast, I was certain Gunner would have tried to push me into a wall.

"I'll take over umbrella duties now." Jessica appeared out of nowhere and looped her arm through my good one. "Even though Mike should really be doing all this grunt work. It might put him back in your dad's good graces."

I hadn't gotten Mike to say more than five words to me since it happened. Apparently, my dad's overprotectiveness had reared its head in the waiting room while Dr. Cullen stitched up my hand, and it had scared Mike something fierce.

"Mike will have to talk to me first!" I laughed. I thought it was funny, despite my stitches and cast. The pain was slowly fading away as the first week after the accident passed by.

"Was scaring Mike really worth ten stitches in your hand?" Angela asked as she joined us on my other side. She was finally feeling better after her bout with a stomach bug. I thought she still looked a little pale, but it was completely in Angela's personality to come back to school before she was completely better. She didn't like to miss school.

"Did Ben not re-enact it for you? He should. He's got a great routine down." Jess didn't think all of it was as funny as we did, which was understandable. She did have a huge crush on him, after all. I don't think either me nor Angela were surprised when Jess changed the subject.

"Is this the weekend you guys are going to Seattle? To take Ava to the aquarium or whatever?" That was exactly the reason that we were going to Seattle. Ava had been asking for months, and our parents had finally caved. Honestly, I was pretty excited myself. Jess called me a nerd for it, but I loved stuff like that…museums, zoos, aquariums.

"Yeah, why?"

Jess gave us a dramatic moan that made Angela giggle. "I need _girl_ time! With no boys around to injure you!"

"You guys can stay over next weekend," Angela tried to soothe Jess' dramatics. "Do you think your parents will let you, Maisie? With your cast?"

Outside, it was still raining. The wind had picked up, sending the wind sideways. I pulled my arm up into my jacket sleeve, balling all the extra fabric as much as I could in my fingers to keep the cast from getting wet.

"I don't see why they wouldn't. Just because Gunner's been calling me an invalid doesn't mean I am one."

While we walked through the breezeways to Building 4, we passed Jasper walking with his brother, Emmett. I waved at Jasper as we walked, and he shyly raised his own hand and smiled softly in response.

I should have known that would be a mistake. I had known Jessica for six years, so it wasn't like I was blind to her boy obsessions or her habit of jumping to conclusions. Jasper and Emmett were barely five feet behind us before Jessica was whispering furiously to me and Angela.

"Oh my God." Before the words were even all the way out of Jess' mouth, I knew I was in trouble.

"Don't start." My words were a feeble defense. I shot a look at Angela, but she only shook her head apologetically at me. Her face clearly said, you did this to yourself.

"Do you _like_ Jasper Hale?" If it's possible to both squeal and whisper at the same time, then Jessica achieved it.

"Stop. He's my Spanish partner. I have to talk to him for an hour every day whether I like him or not."

Jessica set her lips into a pout. Angela seemed suddenly unable to control her giggles. "Well, you certainly drew the lucky card with Jasper, huh? You told Ben he's fluent in Spanish, right? So, basically, you get to be tutored by a hottie, then."

I could have killed Angela. I really could have. I _knew_ she only said that to fuel Jessica's fire. That was confirmed for me when I turned to glare at Angela and she smirked back at me.

"I hate you," I whispered to her. I knew Jessica wouldn't be paying attention. You could practically see the wheels turning in her head as she chased this wild idea of hers.

"No, you don't!"

I tipped my head back and stared at the ceiling. _Kill me now_ , I thought. Lucky for me, the bell rang and gave me an excuse to untangle my arms from Jessica and Angela. I more or less fled to class to escape their laughing.

I could feel the blush still burning in my cheeks as I slid into my seat next to Tyler. _I'm only going to think about trig this whole hour_ , I told myself. There was no need to let Jessica's words get under my skin.

How could I like Jasper? I didn't even know him, not at all, not by a long stretch. Almost all of our conversations to date had taken place in pre-scripted Spanish exercises.

"Is it that exhausting, being injured?" Tyler poked one of my flaming cheeks with the eraser end of his pencil.

"You would be surprised. These stitches are a pain in the ass." I only felt a little bad about the pitying look that brought onto Tyler's face. By lunch he would know about Jessica's newest conspiracy, I was sure. No harm in keeping the heat off myself as long as I could.

Besides, I had more to concentrate on than Jess and her imagination. Like trying desperately to write with my left hand. I was excused from P.E. until I was out of the cast. My other teachers had decided I could turn in typed assignments instead of hand-written. Señora Marquez changed the curriculum just a little bit, front loading our conversation practices until I could write again.

Oh, but not math class. Nope. I still had to do all the complicated trig problems, by hand, with my left hand, since I could move my right thumb to hold a pencil. It took forever to write this way, and my handwriting looked like an overly caffeinated six-year-old's. Ava could write better than I could.

"Mike feels bad, you know." Tyler fell into step with me after class was finally over. His words made me sigh.

"I know. He shouldn't, though. I'm fine. Plus, I think the whole thing is funny, and I'm the one actually hurt."

Ty shook his head. "You're a mess. Was scaring Mike really that great?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Angela already asked me that today. Ty, Mike _cried_ because he thought I had a snake. He'll tell you it's because of my hand, that my bleeding is what spooked him, but he's a liar. It was that driftwood."

I shrugged. "Besides, my hand will heal. I can stand having a scarred thumb. Who knows how much therapy it will take for Mike to get over it."

"You're evil," Tyler muttered. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah, my dad says it's because I'm short, so I'm closer to hell." That made Tyler laugh so loud that more than a few people turned in the hallway to look at us. If it wasn't so well-known—and accepted—that Lauren had her eye on Tyler, I might have feared for my life. If you wanted to see someone truly capable of evil, look no farther than Lauren Mallory.

I often counted my blessings that I was in the girl's good graces when I heard the amount of venom she was capable of injecting into her voice.

Lucky for me, Jessica had moved on from her thoughts of me to lament about her hair.

"I swear it's getting bigger as the day goes on." The humidity outside had been somehow continuing to build despite the incessant rain. A true storm was coming on, surely.

"It's just full of secrets. Did your dad invent toaster strudels, too?" Jessica smacked me for my _Mean Girls_ quote even as she laughed. Me, Lauren, and Angela watched as Jessica tried in vain to subdue her curls into a bun. Eventually, Lauren rolled her eyes and went to stand behind Jessica and help her.

"You guys just don't know the struggle," Jessica whined. "All you straight haired bitches."

"At least you don't have to run every time you're outside because you'll get gross skin infections if your cast gets wet. And we live in a place where it's. Always. Raining." My dramatics only made Jess pull a sour face.

By the time I got to Spanish class, the sky was so bruised and heavy looking that I knew a bigger storm would start at any moment. Studying the sky, I contemplated how much it would really hurt if I drove home. Understandably, I didn't really trust Gunner's driving in inclement weather.

" _Parece a la lluvia_." I had to pull my eyes away from the window and look at Jasper's expression—a raised eyebrow, a teasing smirk—to see that the was joking. It was so unexpected from this quiet boy that was my partner that I laughed a little louder than was necessary.

" _Oh, si. Gracias hombre del tiempo_." Thanks, weatherman. I'm sure it was a poor translation, but I tried.

" _De nada, señorita_."

Our textbook script had no room for jokes. The subject was macabre, definitely dark enough to befit the clouds outside. The conversational exercises focused on how to respond to another person's loss of a loved one and accompanying grief.

In the middle of Jasper telling me he was so sorry for the loss of my fictional great grandfather, the lights suddenly cut out. The abrupt darkness made me gasp, and I heard Jasper chuckle at my reaction.

A boom of thunder so strong it shook the windows followed soon after.

"Lightning must have hit a line," Señora Marquez must have been as surprised as the rest of us because she forgot her own rule about not using English in class. "Can I trust you not to go wild while I go to the office?"

"I think ' _go home_ ' would be acceptable," I mumbled, setting my chin in my hand. I was sure Señora Marquez was going to ask what we were supposed to do with no electricity and two class periods left in the day. The room lit up every now and then thanks to lightning strikes. It colored Jasper's hair silver rather than its usual honey blonde.

Jasper was quiet beside me. When I took a peek, I saw that the was picking at a loose thread in the sleeve of his dark blue henley shirt. In the next flash of lightning, I saw how his eyebrows were drawn together with more concentration than was necessary for playing with a loose thread.

"Hey, are you okay?" He had laughed when the lights going out scared me. Surely it wasn't the storm making him so anxious.

He swallowed _and_ cleared his throat before answering me, but his voice still came out thick. "Yeah, I'm fine. This storm and the lights going out is…claustrophobic."

That definitely stilled my hand, which was halfway reaching out to touch his arm.

"Just go," I whispered to him. I don't know why I whispered. Maybe it was the dark, or his sudden confession. None of our other classmates were whispering. "Get some air. I'll cover for you."

Jasper's _thank you_ came out strangled. He used the back door of the classroom, walking quickly. I hoped he wasn't going to be sick from this.

 _Poor guy_ , I thought. _Maybe it was storming when he and Rosalie lost their parents. Maybe she's having the same reaction somewhere else in the schoo_ l.

Ten minutes later, and Jasper hadn't returned, but Señora Marquez had. Class was nearly over, but she still questioned me about where Jasper had gone. I told her the first lie I could think of, that Jasper had gone to the bathroom. It was a weak lie, but Señora Marquez seemed to accept it.

James Harrigan turned to fix me with a questioning stare. I raised an eyebrow at him, silently daring him to call my bluff. He didn't bother to, only blowing his breath and shaking his head at me before turning back around.

Señora Marquez did bring the news I was hoping for: school was cancelled for the rest of the day. I was more than happy to leave the classroom and find Gunner, so we could go home. He held his hand out for the keys when I finally did find him, but I shook my head.

"I'll drive," I told him.

"But I thought it would hurt your hand?" I just shrugged in response.

"We're liable to die either way, I guess. Let's go before the streets try to flood."

We made it home fine that day, at the expense of my casted hand. It took forever for the lights to come back on. We ate sandwiches for dinner in the dark that night, all of us watching _The Little Mermaid_ on Ava's little tablet.

I looked out the window above the sink when I put my dishes away, staring at that stretch of forest that separated our house from the Cullens'. I couldn't help but wonder if Jasper had gotten home okay, too.


	6. Chapter Five

**-Chapter Five-**

* * *

Jasper did, indeed, make it home safely…and about fifteen minutes before his siblings. After leaving the classroom, Jasper ran halfway home before stopping and letting the rain soak him through. He breathed deeply, the clean scent of rain and forest soothing the fire in his throat.

He had better sight as a vampire, he knew that. Still, those lights going out somehow erased the fact that the classroom was filled with people who had lives and families. In that hot, humid darkness, all that registered in Jasper's mind was the heartbeats. The pulse in the veins of those nine humans. The blood.

Venom flooded his mouth so thoroughly and quickly that he nearly choked on it.

And then she had spoken.

 _Hey, are you okay? Just go. I'll cover for you._

Never, in all of his vampire life, had a human shown kindness to him. If he hadn't left, he knew he would have killed every human in that room. Maybe the whole building. The whole school? Jasper shuddered at that thought.

He had desperately needed an out, and Maisie had given him one. Easily. Casually. No strings attached, simply because she saw he needed it.

She had been genuine, too. He had felt her concern for him, and it wasn't tainted with a single ounce of fear.

Jasper walked the rest of the way home. He knew Esme would be there, and he didn't want her to be disappointed in him. Esme must have heard him coming, because she greeted him with a hug at the door.

"I'm sorry," his voice was muffled by Esme's shoulder. "I know it draws attention. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, Jasper. I would rather have attention drawn to us than for you to do something you'll regret."

By the time his siblings got there, Jasper was in clean clothing and Esme was drying his hair with a towel while they sat on the couch. Rosalie's anger washed over him before Edward even parked in the driveway.

"Leave him alone, babe." Esme and Jasper both pretended not to hear Emmett's frantic whispering. "Would you rather him skip school or create a blood bath?"

"I told you it will be _fine_ ," Alice growled. "I looked. No one even cares. Eddy did a sweep, too. It doesn't matter."

Rosalie didn't even come into the house. She went straight to the garage to fuel her anger into her newest classic car project.

Emmett squeezed Jasper's shoulder in a sign of silent support before he made his own way to the garage. Jasper was sure he was going to try to talk Rosalie down from her anger. Sometimes that worked, but more often than not she could only be pacified with gifts, the more expensive the better.

"No one suspects anything," Edward's tone was neutrally, his composure casual as he threw himself into an armchair and started to flick through a book. But Jasper could feel the annoyance Edward was trying to hide from him.

He was thankful for Esme and Alice, even if the reassurance and love they were pushing at him to mask everyone else was almost overwhelming. Jasper excused himself to his room, where he did nothing more than lay in the floor and watch his ceiling fan go around in circles.

Jasper watched that fan go in circles until his eyes felt strained. He tried desperately not to let thoughts of blood filling his mouth enter his mind. Breathing felt almost impossible, so he forced himself to take deep, even breaths that he didn't need.

Why did he have to be the monster in an otherwise perfect family?

* * *

Emmett came in his room without knocking sometime after midnight.

"Hey, scoot over." Jasper had been laying in the floor for so long that he wouldn't be surprised if the carpet wore the shape of him. He did what Emmett said, though, and moved to make room for his brother to lay his huge body down beside him.

"That took a lot of self-control, to leave instead of giving in." Emmett's words did little to soothe Jasper's mood.

"I can't take credit for it. She told me to go. I wouldn't have, if she hadn't said it." Jasper turned his head in time to see Emmett's brow crumple.

"Who did? Alice?" Emmett's confusion almost made him laugh.

"No, a human girl. Maisie. She's my Spanish partner."

"She told you to go?" Alice and Emmett, besides their parents, were the only ones who ever bothered to intentionally speak to humans. The surprise in Emmett's voice, that Jasper would talk so willingly to a human girl, wasn't unexpected.

"She saw that I was losing it. I, uh, lied to her and said I was claustrophobic. She told me to leave and that she would cover for me."

"Oh, okay. Well, that was nice of her. Good lie, too." They were quiet for several minutes before Emmett spoke again. "You really did good today, Jazz. Don't let Rosalie and Edward get you down."

"Thanks, Em."

They laid together until sun up, when they had to rise and get ready for another day at Forks High.

* * *

Alice knew Jasper wouldn't be happy if he knew that she planned on thanking Maisie for—what was it Jasper had said?—'covering' for him. He wasn't in her third-hour junior's Washington State History, though. So how would he even know unless Maisie told on her?

"Leave it be," Edward had hissed in her ear when she had turned to walk into the classroom. Of course, with his pesky mindreading, Edward knew exactly what Alice was up to. Her only reply came in the form of sticking her tongue out at her brother.

Alice didn't sit anywhere near Maisie. In fact, she sat in the back, which she preferred for different reasons than her siblings did. Sitting in the back meant that Alice had to walk past a lot of people, which provided for more opportunities for people to look at her outfit.

She did pass Maisie's desk on the way to her own, however. Maisie's curly haired friend, Jessica Stanley, sat behind her. The girls were huddled over Maisie's cast before class started, Jessica using a permanent marker to doodle on the fabric.

Jessica had drawn a heart and put their initials inside of it, which made Maisie laugh. She was a pretty girl, Alice decided. Maisie had such dark blue eyes, and her hair had so many shades of blonde and brown in it.

"Hi," Alice stopped right beside Maisie's desk, her books clutched to her chest. Maisie picked her head up and smiled, revealing one deep dimple in her left cheek.

"Hi, Alice." She didn't pretend not to know her name, which Alice appreciated. She hated when the humans pretended they didn't spend time gossiping about the Cullen family.

"I wanted to say thank you, for yesterday. For helping Jasper. He gets…anxious sometimes."

"Oh," Maisie tried to hide how flustered she was by playing with the end of her ponytail. "It was no problem, really. Was he okay? And Rosalie?"

The surprise must have been obvious on Alice's face, because Maisie continued to stumble through her words. "I mean, I don't know if the same thing happened to her, but I wondered…with them being twins and all…if it was, like, something they shared."

"Oh! Right! No, Rosalie's fine, too. Thank you again!"

Maisie's genuine kindness was almost…off-putting. Not in a bad way. Through the decades, Alice had become so accustomed to humans being nice to her only out of their own curiosity or to try to get something from her. It appeared, to Alice anyway, that Maisie was being kind just to be kind.

From her seat in the back, Alice could still clearly hear the two girls, despite their whispers.

 _"What did she mean, you_ 'helped' _Jasper?"_ Jessica asked, her tone conspiratorial.

 _"Nothing!"_ Maisie whispered back. _"I just covered for him when he left class. It was nothing."_

Jessica opened her mouth to say something else, but Maisie lifted her hand—her casted hand—to wave the words away. That doodle, _j + m_ in a heart, was visible to Alice once again. Even though she knew it meant _Jessica + Maisie_ , another _J_ name passed through Alice's mind.

Without meaning to, her musings triggered one of her visions. The vision was simple, but still shocking. It was truly something Alice never expected to see. In the vision, Jasper and Maisie were laughing at something. Mid-laugh, Maisie laid her head on Jasper's shoulder, bringing her closer to Jasper than Alice ever expected a human to be.

And then Jasper dipped his head. Not to bite Maisie, like Edward would surely be expecting as Alice was certain he was watching. Jasper placed a soft kiss on top of Maisie's hair.

 _Perfect_ , Alice thought. If Edward were listening, she knew he would disagree with her, and she didn't care. _Just like all the other visions so far._

They had only started when Jasper and Maisie were assigned to be each other's Spanish partners. At first, she had tried to hide them from Edward, but that truly was exhausting, so she had settled for swearing him to secrecy instead.

Each vision so far had shown a future where Jasper and Maisie were together.

Each vision brought a bigger and bigger smile to Alice's face.

 _You need to have faith in him_. Alice sent the thought out to Edward. _Everything I've seen, you've seen. He won't hurt her. He can't hurt her. She's going to mean too much to him._

They both agreed that nobody else in the family needed to know anything. Not yet, anyway. That could shift the trajectory of the future into something far less pleasant than what Alice had seen so far.

The thought of a new sister was far too enticing to Alice for there to be any kind of jeopardization.


	7. Chapter Six

**-Chapter Six-**

* * *

Something shifted in mine and Jasper's relationship after the day I told him to skip class. I guess that moment solidified us from being partners to being friends. The day after, he thanked me softly, his words floating under his breath, and took my backpack from me.

For that whole week, he had watched me as I slowly took things for class out of it. I didn't like to use my right hand at all, because any pressure put on the cast made my thumb burn underneath. Now I watched as Jasper settled it on his lap. He barely took a moment to pause, glancing up at me with his golden eyes to confirm if what he was doing was okay, before unzipping my bag.

He set my Spanish textbook on our shared table in front of me. He pulled out my notebook, which I hadn't used since the first week of school and pulled out a pen.

"I'll take notes for you, if that's okay." Jasper didn't need notes of his own. He was fluent in Spanish. I blushed, because I had been trying to be sneaky that first week when I would write down corrections of my own faulty translations and conjugations.

"You don't have to," I mumbled, suddenly embarrassed by his careful attention.

"I want to," he reassured me, a soft smile playing at his lips.

"Hey, where did you learn Spanish, anyway?" I was desperate to change the subject somehow. Jasper's smile turned into more of a smirk.

"Texas." So that's where the accent came from. I wouldn't have guessed that for Rosalie, with her cold attitude and her prissy gait, but it fit Jasper. I didn't get a chance to press him further, though, because the bell rang and we were again confined to our preset conversation exercises.

I tucked that piece of information away to save for after class. I don't know if he was being polite or if Jasper was just easier on me than was on myself, but he wrote hardly any notes in my notebook. I almost wished he had written more, because the elegant loops of his handwriting were almost mesmerizing to look at.

After the bell, Jasper repeated his earlier routine, only this time he packed my things away.

"So, Texas?" I asked, watching him carefully settle my Spanish book in with the others. He didn't pick up his head as he slid the pen he had used back into its pocket.

"Houston," he answered. "Me and Rose left when we were ten."

Rose. So he used a nickname for his sister. Once everything was back in its place in my bag, Jasper stood with it, holding the straps out for me. I slid my arms in place and he gently laid the weight of the bag on my back.

"Oh." I was surprised with how breathy that single syllable came out. "We moved when I was ten, too. From New Mexico to here. Tatum, New Mexico… I doubt you've heard of it, though. It's tiny."

I had to force myself to stop rambling. My cheeks were burning again and I didn't dare lift my gaze to look at Jasper when he held the door open for me.

"I can't say I have." His voice sounded amused. I couldn't bring myself to look if his face matched his tone. He followed up with, "See you tomorrow, _partner_."

Which was my line. That did make me look up into his smirking, smug face, one of his pale eyebrows quirked almost like a challenge. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.

"See you tomorrow." I used the words that had been his until now. The smile he gave me in response was nothing less than radiant. This wide smile from an otherwise quiet and reserved boy made my heart race in my chest.

I was lucky to have Gunner as an excuse to turn away, or I think I might have died on the spot. Gunner rested his hand on my shoulder, startling me out of the daze Jasper's smile had put me in. When I turned toward my brother, Jasper gave me a small wave before leaving.

"Hey, mom texted me. She has a staff meeting. We have to go get Full of Fun after school." _Full of Fun_ was a nickname Ava had, courtesy of her preschool. Every day, all the kids were sent home with little slips of paper with either 'full of fun' or 'good listener' circled on it.

Full of Fun was just a nice way of saying _misbehave._ I think it's easy to guess which one Ava came home with more often than not.

And a surprise staff meeting on Friday. Mom's job as a second grade teacher sure sounded exciting.

"Oh, great. I don't have her seat in my car, so you know she'll try to tell on us." Ava looked for any reason possible to get me and Gunner in trouble.

"She'll survive. I'll drive more carefully."

"Well, it's good to know where I rank on your totem pole of sister importance."

Bless Gunner for the fact that, despite my obviously flaming cheeks, he didn't comment on them once.

"To be fair, you've got sixteen years of life under your belt. Ava only has four."

"Fair enough, I guess." I left Gunner with his friends Emma and Hunter before heading to my next class. Sibling loyalty would surely keep Gunner from gossiping about my blushing cheeks when I left Jasper.

I wasn't so sure I would escape scrutiny for what had happened in class. Not that there had been anything scandalous about it. All of it had been innocent interactions. This was a small town, though, and one of the past times of any small towns is taking inconsequential things and spinning them into tales of grandeur.

It was a little ridiculous, but I felt like I was tiptoeing for the rest of the day, just waiting for someone to say something. By someone, I meant Jessica, naturally. To my utter surprise, I survived what remained of Friday without getting the third degree. At least not about Jasper, anyway.

"Maisie, please tell me we don't have to worry about you stealing an otter from the aquarium this weekend," Ben teased me when we were all walking out of school after the final bell. Otters were one of my favorite animals.

"I mean, I'm a small person. Don't underestimate my ability to fit through small spaces, like gaps in a fence."

"Don't you think one sea fiasco per school year is enough?" Tyler asked. I snuck a glance at Mike, who hung his head at Tyler's words. He really was beating himself up about the whole thing.

"I don't think aquariums count as the actual sea," I shot back. "Listen, y'all just don't worry about it. If I have an otter on Monday, then I have an otter. It's fine."

I broke off from our laughing group to join Gunner in the parking lot. Getting Ava from preschool meant we had to drive to the complete other side of town before going home.

"You ready for no less than ten minutes of Full of Fun critiquing your driving?" Gunner shook his head, sliding into the passenger seat.

"She really is too worldly for a four-year-old. I don't know what we're gonna do with her."

"I'll tell you what we're gonna do with Ava. One day we're going to be bumming it at her mansion when she's a millionaire." Developmentally speaking, Ava was one of the smartest people I knew. Couple that with her headstrong attitude and I didn't doubt that she would rule the world one day.

"Can we still boss her around when she's rich?" Gunner mused.

"We can _always_ boss her around. We're twelve years older than her."

Just like we anticipated, Ava corrected both of us no less than ten times before we got to the house. Gunner did a rolling stop; I wasn't wearing my seatbelt right because I moved it to lean over and get something from my backpack; why didn't we have her seat?

The world, according to Ava, had very distinct, black-and-white rules.

"Hey, why don't you worry about yourself back there?" Gunner tried to scold her, but it didn't work. I just shook my head. There was definitely no telling Ava that she was wrong.

I saved all my homework for Saturday since we had a three-hour drive to Seattle anyway. This was blasphemous to Ava, until she realized that her seat sandwiched between me and Gunner in the backseat meant that she could watch me work.

While I was reviewing the notes Jasper had written, Ava leaned over the arm rest of her car seat to look at them.

"Who wrote that?" She asked. "It's pretty."

Before I could answer, Gunner did. "Maisie's new boyfriend, Jasper Hale."

Obviously, sibling loyalty only existed in public. In the safety of our dad's car, with Ava separating us so that I couldn't hit him, Gunner was brave.

I glared daggers at him over top of Ava's head. I knew his words were to get a rise out of Ava—she remembered _everything_ and wasn't one to let things slide.

"I thought Chris was your boyfriend." Ava fixed me with a suspicious stare.

"He's not anymore," I mumbled. "But Jasper isn't, either."

Of course, our parents couldn't just be oblivious like some sitcom parents.

"Jasper Hale? Just last week weren't you amazed he possessed the gift of speech? Kids are fast these days, hon." Dad's teasing made me roll my eyes. And seethe about Gunner.

 _"We're not dating,"_ I insisted. "He's just helping me since I can't write."

"And he packs up your backpack for you and walks you out of class and holds the door open." Gunner said it all in a rush, like I possessed any power to make him stop in his tracks. I sure would have liked to.

I pulled my phone out and sent Gunner a text.

 _I'll smother you in your sleep if you keep it up._

Seconds later, my phone buzzed with his reply: _Try me._

"Well, it certainly sounds like he's a gentleman." Mom's tone held none of the joking that Dad's had. Nor the smugness of Gunner's. She actually sounded impressed. "See, I told you that Dr. Cullen and his wife were doing right by those kids."

Trust mom to be the only one to come to my rescue. That little comment started Dad on another one of his _The Cullens are Wonderful People and Don't Deserve the Speculation That Surrounds Their Family_ rants. Which, to be fair, they didn't.

I had just never seen someone so riled up over people they hadn't talked to more than a handful of times like my father was.

"Thanks, Mom," I whispered to her. I was sitting right behind the passenger seat, so I had faith that she was the only one who heard me.

"You're welcome, honey," she whispered back to me. "Ignore them. But I certainly wouldn't mind if a boy that looked like Jasper were paying attention to me."

I rolled my eyes and settled into my seat, angling my notebook so Ava couldn't peek at it anymore.


	8. Chapter Seven

**-Chapter Seven-**

* * *

"What's that show where people eat couch stuffing? I'm going to sign Maisie up for it." My brother always thought he had jokes. Three weeks in with my cast, and I could hardly stand how itchy it had become, specifically over the place where my stitches were.

Dr. Cullen had said it would happen. I just didn't expect it to be so _annoying_. The only remedy I had been given for it was to use a hair dryer on the cold setting and let it run over the cast where the itch was.

Which I did. Constantly.

 _"My Strange Addiction."_ Mom filled Gunner in. "I don't think they would take her, though. They already did an episode about hair dryers."

"Ha-ha. Y'all are _so_ funny." At least I had sweet little Ava, who always wanted to help everyone. She would take turns holding the hair dryer with me while everyone else just mocked me. Dad had taken to calling Ava an enabler.

"I think we're hilarious." Gunner pulled a piece of paper from his backpack. At the top, he had written _Number of Times Maisie Talks About Her Cast Itching._ The whole page was covered in his tally marks. "And as my quantitative data here shows, we're completely justified in our remarks."

"You're supposed to be nice to hurt people," Ava chastised Gunner in a way that only a four-year-old full of conviction can. "You're not being kind."

Gunner knew how to rile Ava up, though, and with that kid it was simple. For whatever reason, Ava hated it more than anything if you stuck your tongue out at her. Of course, that's what Gunner did.

Ava gave a frustrated little shriek and pushed the hairdryer into my good hand. She spun on her heel to face Gunner.

 _"Stop it!"_ Ava commanded him. I couldn't handle those two once they got going. I switched off the hairdryer and took it back to my room upstairs. It was almost time for me to leave, anyway. Surely Jessica, Angela, and Lauren would be here in a few minutes to rescue me from the wrestling match that was sure to ensue downstairs.

There was a tradition among the girls in our friend group. I couldn't even remember how it started. Once a month—preferably the third Tuesday—we ditched all the boys and headed to the pizza place in town. I knew Angela picked the third Tuesday part, but none of us recalled the logic behind it.

All we knew was that it was fun. Dad called it 'obnoxious teenage girl time', but what did he know.

"Mom, I'm going!" I called out as soon as Jess' text came through on my phone. I grabbed my jacket, buttoning it up as I went down the stairs.

"Do you need money?" I didn't have a full job during the school year. I babysat a lot, but most of my money came from working at the library during the summers.

"No, I got it! Thank you!" Outside, I slid into the backseat of Lauren's car.

"Hey, girl." Lauren called everyone _girl_. I had even heard her call Mike and Ben _girl_ before. "Let me guess, you had to bring that huge jacket because you're wearing another sleeveless shirt, aren't you?"

"I refuse to let this stupid cast stretch out my clothes, sue me." The thing with Lauren was that you had to dish back anything she gave you. That was the only way she respected anyone. Or just worship the ground she walked on, like Jessica, but I liked my strategy better.

"So, when's Tyler gonna ask you out?" I had come up with this strategy earlier in the day. Once you got Lauren started on talking about herself, it was nearly impossible to get a word in edgewise. Which is exactly what I needed, so Jess wouldn't have any opportunities to slip Jasper's name into the conversation.

Angela saw through me, as evidenced by her elbow in my side. I shushed her even though she hadn't said anything. Lauren's groan sounded from the driver's seat.

"That's the question of the school year! I'm starting to think I might have to do it myself. I mean, we all agree he likes me, right?"

"The whole school can see it." Jessica was quick to reassure Lauren. "Like, _everybody_. Mike teases him all the time about it."

"Maybe he's scared." Angela's phone lit up her face while she texted Ben back. "Of rejection. You do like _him_ , right? Not just the chase of it all?"

I wished I could have seen Lauren's face. The lights on the console wasn't strong enough to really illuminate her features. Her voice cutting through the dark car sounded sincere.

"I really do like him. It's weird. Tyler's goofy like Mike, but I think Ty's funny when they get each other going. Mike just annoys me."

 _There we go_ , I thought. I would've put betting money on it that the night's conversation would revolve around comparing Tyler and Mike. That's a bet I would've won, too. Lauren and Jessica went back and forth while we ate. I helped Angela give Ben a play by play via text while they argued.

They were still going at it when Lauren dropped me off.

"Bye, Ange. I'll see you tomorrow." I didn't bother to say bye to Lauren and Jessica. Neither one of them would have paid a lick of attention to me.

"I don't know, I might die of neglect back here before they remember me."

"You have your phone. Text Ben so he can be your knight in shining armor."

I had a text of my own buzz through on my phone. It was from my mom: _Take out the trash before you go to bed, please._

If there was a chore I hated, it was taking out the trash at night. In the daytime, I loved the fact that our house was nestled in so many trees. Despite the lights that lined our driveway, they didn't seem strong enough to keep anything my imagination conjured up at bay. I walked up the driveway, grabbed the bagged trash Mom had left by the door, and took it down to the trashcan at the end of the driveway.

Somewhere, something snapped a twig in the forest. My rational brain knew it was probably an animal. My overactive imagination screamed _murderer_ , though, so I don't think it's too unreasonable that I ran as fast as I could back up the driveway to the front door.

I didn't think anything of my jaunt from the trash can to the door until the next day when Jasper was taking my Spanish book out of my backpack. Honestly, my hand didn't hurt anymore. It was only the incessant itching, but I wasn't going to bother to tell Jasper that. I didn't want this new routine of ours to end.

I had even started going to class earlier so I could have more time to talk to Jasper before our Spanish practices.

"My brother told me to ask you if you always run up your driveway." He said it so casually that I'm sure it intensified the blush in my cheeks. "We saw you when we were driving home."

"Which brother?" I asked, trying to deflect some of it. When Jasper looked at me, his golden eyes were shining in amusement.

"Emmett. He's relentless. He'll ask you himself if you don't give me an answer for him." The playful threat in his voice made me smile.

"Well then, you can tell Emmett that getting murdered is never high on my priority list." I said the words lightly, but they seemed to cause a shift in Jasper's expression.

"That's a big concern of yours?" I laughed and shook my head, trying to get the conversation back to the teasing fun we had.

"No. But I _am_ afraid of the dark." That brought the smirk back to Jasper's face, which is what I wanted.

The bell always interrupted us mid-conversation. I started to really hate the stupid, shrill noise. As soon as it sounded, Jasper flipped both of our books open. We shifted in our chairs to face each other. And even though the words we spoke to each other weren't our own, I still always had fun talking to him.

I would never admit it to anyone, especially not Jessica, but I liked to watch Jasper's face. If you paid attention, he wasn't nearly as serious as he usually appeared. They were small shifts in his expression, but they were there.

I always knew when I worded something wrong, because a grin would _almost_ flick onto his lips, his eyes would light up with amusement, and his brows would raise ever so slightly. Jasper tried to hide it, but I knew he thought my stumbles with the Spanish language were funny.

Sometimes, when we weren't limited to the exercises we ran through every day, I was able to make him smile. Laughs were harder to come by, but that was okay with me, because Jasper's smile was my favorite.

It transformed his face, and it was shockingly bright. Combined with his golden hair and eyes, he was like the embodiment of the sun when he smiled.

"So, why are you afraid of the dark?" Jasper and I always picked up our pre-bell conversations once it rang again and released us from our classwork. He packed away my things for me while he waited for my answer.

"I'm gonna blame New Mexico for that one." He looked up at me through his lashes, pushing his almost-shaggy hair out of the way to me. The humor was clear in his eyes. "I grew up being told urban legends left and right."

Myths and monsters were synonymous in my mind with the land of my childhood.

"Aliens?" He held my backpack out for me. I knew that our interactions drew attention from our other classmates. I could feel their stares, but I both didn't care and couldn't blame them. The Cullens didn't often associate with people outside of their family. This friendship with Jasper was surely shocking to everyone.

"That's stereotypical. _Way_ more than that."

"Chupacabra, too, right?"

"Oh, yeah, it's practically an infestation."

I loved spending Spanish class with Jasper, but I did not have a crush on him. I just thought he was interesting, that was all.


	9. Chapter Eight

**-Chapter Eight-**

* * *

Jasper was careful not to use his powers on Maisie, even though the pain and now the itching he felt secondhand from her was driving him crazy. He couldn't imagine how she put up with it. Though he _wanted_ to make it stop, for both of their benefit, he knew he couldn't.

Maisie was smart. She might not know exactly _why_ it all stopped when she was around Jasper, but he expected that she would notice the correlation nonetheless. That would draw attention even more than when he left class, even if the attention only came from Maisie.

Besides that, he knew that would also fall under the veil of manipulation. Which Jasper had to admit he certainly wasn't above, given his time both with Maria in the vampire army and his current business dealings with J. Jenks. Maisie, though…he did not want to manipulate this kind human, even if accidentally.

Her cast was a constant reminder to him of the fragility of humans.

Not that Maisie acted fragile in any way. As her wound healed, she returned to being an animated speaker, and she never complained about it. Still, she never stopped Jasper from helping with her bag each class period.

Which he did only because she was hurt. And to repay the debt she didn't even know she held against Jasper. Had she not told him to go, he had no doubt that he would have had at least nine more humans' lives to his name.

Four more weeks and he would be done with it. Not that the seven weeks would even make a dent in the debt, but he didn't know what else to do. He couldn't get any closer than this, for both Maisie's safety and his family's.

That was his well-intended plan, anyway, that got ruined on a Monday afternoon when he got to Spanish class.

Maisie had beaten him there, but she hadn't bothered to remove anything from the backpack resting beside her feet. That actually made Jasper smile to himself. Obviously, he had spoiled the girl.

First her eyes flicked up, meeting his for just a moment before she held a paper out to him.

"We have to do a project. I hate presentations." Jasper took the paper from her outstretched hand and looked it over. Señora Marquez had written out a rubric to follow to create a ten-minute presentation for their midterm grade. Topics would be assigned by Señora Marquez in one week's time. The rubric was meant as a head's up and an opportunity to start discussing what presentation mode would be used.

Jasper's breath hitched when he thought about the implications of a project. The sharp intake of breath was automatic, and it filled his nose with a concentrated rush of human scents. He swallowed back the venom that flooded his mouth in response, forcing himself to concentrate on Maisie and her scent alone.

 _Edward._ Jasper called his brother's name and hoped he was listening. _Help._

He read over the instructions again quickly, knowing Edward would get the gist of what he needed help with. Then he swallowed one more time, leaned over, and got Maisie's backpack.

"I don't like them, either," he muttered into the gaping mouth of her bag, hand curling around her book. "There's no point in them."

 _"Thank you."_ Maisie enthused beside him. "And they're embarrassing."

Jasper's phone buzzed against his thigh in his pocket. After he set out Maisie's things, he checked his phone before either Maisie nor their teacher could notice.

 _I'll check with Alice_ , Edward's text said. _I'll let you know what she says to do_.

So Edward had understood. Jasper's instant concern when he read over the assignment was the fact that he and Maisie would have to meet to work on it.

 _Thank you._ Jasper didn't bother to type out his reply for his brother.

Edward's reply came nearly two anxious minutes later. Alice must have sieved through every possibility she could imagine.

 _She'll be safe no matter what you choose to do. Alice checked every option._

The reassurance filled Jasper with a warm sense of relief.

"I think we just might survive," Jasper reassured Maisie as well as himself. She only pouted her lips in reply, picking at a piece of fuzz stuck to her cast.

"I guess I've survived worse, huh?" She waved her casted hand at him before tucking her copy of the project guidelines inside the front cover of her Spanish book. Using her left hand, she flicked through the pages to find their exercise for the day.

Despite her earlier complaining, Maisie didn't seem too concerned about their upcoming project. After tucking the instructions away, she didn't bring it up again. Jasper hardly noticed, though.

Even with Edward and Alice's reassurance, he was having a hard time picturing being alone with Maisie ending with her alive. He tried to distract himself from the thoughts of how wrong it could go by forcing himself to study Maisie's face. That way, it would at least appear that he was paying full attention to her.

She seemed none the wiser as she read and translated different parts of the conversation. For his part, Jasper forced himself to count the shades of blue in her eyes—four—and the scars that mark her face: a long, thin one on her cheek and a small one below her lips.

The scar on her cheek almost shimmered with the way it caught the fluorescent school lights. It reminded Jasper of his own scars, which littered so much of his body, but predominantly his neck.

Not for the first time, Maisie surprised him. She paid much more attention than he gave her credit for. Or, perhaps, it was more attention than he was used to. Jasper was used to humans avoiding his family.

Either way, Maisie tapped his foot with her own to draw his attention. It was the first time a human had ever dared touch him, even if it was only with her shoe. That certainly drew his attention back to her.

"Hey," she slipped before sliding back into Spanish. _"¿Adónde fuiste?"_

 _Where did you go?_ What a difficult question to answer. He couldn't very well tell her how much he worried that, despite her mild scent, he would succumb to his flaws and kill her before this project of theirs was ever handed in.

Instead, Jasper shook his head, as if that could disperse the pervasive thoughts.

 _"Lo siento,"_ he mumbled his apology. Maisie raised her eyebrows in response, almost like a challenge, but she continued with the lesson. He was off the hook, at least until Maisie could speak in English again.

She waited until they had both stood to leave the classroom. The height difference between them was enough that, when she addressed him, she had to tip her head back to meet his eye.

"You okay?" That was the second time she had asked him that question. Again, the genuine concern radiated off her when the words left her mouth.

"Yeah," Jasper lied. He hated lying. That was something he had taken with him from his human life, the ingrained guilt that he felt when he was dishonest. No memories of his human parents were left, but the way they had shaped him was still there. "Just…tired."

Maisie scrutinized him for just a beat, pausing in the doorway while he held the door open for her. He could feel that she didn't really believe him, but she also didn't push it farther. Instead, she nodded her head, sending her messy bun bouncing with her false acceptance before telling him goodbye.

The fact that she was able to so easily read him was unsettling. She was observant. If it weren't for his disinterest in invading privacy, he might ask Edward about her thoughts.

* * *

Early October in Forks was not truly cold—though temperature didn't affect the Cullen family, anyway—yet Alice had a roaring fire going in the fireplace. She lounged in front of it, lazily flicking through fashion magazines.

Close beside her sat Rosalie, repeating a routine of swiping on new shades of lipstick and spending no less than five minutes admiring herself in her mirror with each new color. The past five shades had been red, which was Rosalie's favorite color on herself. Jasper couldn't tell the difference between them, even with his enhanced sight.

 _It's the same damn color, Rose._ His thought made Edward chuckle across the room. He had headphones in, listening and sorting through new music he had found.

Jasper and Emmett sat on the floor together, watching a hockey game intently. They had money bet on this game and were fighting the temptation to ask either Edward or Alice who would win.

On one side of the couch, Esme was curled up with a blanket and a book. She preferred fictional stories, set between 1895 and 1921, as that was the timeframe of her human life. Carlisle took over the other half of the couch, leisurely reading as well, though his subject matter was medical research journals. He liked to make sure he was up to date.

It was amazing how akin to a regular human family they could appear.

Despite all of their individual activities, all of the Cullens could hear another family not so far away. More specifically, two girls singing Disney songs and jumping on a trampoline. Amidst their giggles and singing came a _whack!_ followed by Maisie's voice: _Oh, sorry, Ava!_

None of them had to see it to know that Ava must have collided with her sister's cast. The sounds of their playing made Rosalie turn her head and roll her eyes in the general direction of the Thompson house.

"That stupid girl is going to hurt herself again." Jasper ignored the flare of anger in his chest at her words. He had no need to be protective of the human girl.

"Do you doubt my work, Kitty?" Carlisle teased, pulling out the pet name that Rosalie only pretended to hate. Jasper didn't need to tell Carlisle that Rosalie secretly loved being the only one with a special name. Rosalie pouted her red lips.

" _I_ like her," Alice contradicted Rose as if Carlisle had never spoken. She turned her magazine page lightly, though the glare she sent to Rosalie told a different story. "Maisie's nice, isn't she, Jasper?"

"Oh, sure." Jasper was careful to keep his tone casually neutral. Apparently, his words were more important than his tone, as they validated Alice enough for her to continue.

"She even asked about you the other day, Rose. The day after Jasper left class. Maisie asked if you were okay, because she thought you might have had a bad reaction to the storm, too. You know, because of the whole twin façade."

As he expected, Alice's retelling of Maisie's sentiment did nothing to endear the girl to Rosalie. Jasper couldn't hear her thoughts, but he felt the repulsion that filled Rosalie. Underneath was a current of jealousy. If he had to guess, Jasper would say it was because she still felt the loss of her two little brothers when she left her human life.

Rose's feelings towards Maisie had little to do with the girl herself. Most of it was deep seeded in the blonde beauty swiping her lipstick off in preparation for a new color.

Emmett's sharp blow knocked Jasper to the floor and brought him out of his thoughts. "Did you see that?! You're definitely going to owe me money, Jazz!"

"Careful, boys." Esme scolded without ever lifting her eyes from her book. "It's only a hockey game."

She always kept them in line. More so than their animal blood diet, Jasper was convinced that Esme was key to their success as a peaceful coven. The tender love and care she paid to each of them bolstered them more than Jasper's mood-influencing powers ever could.

He hoped she would still love him even if he did something horrible…like kill Maisie and her family. Alongside that hope was another: that he would be able to control himself if they were alone. Never mind that her smell didn't even bother him. The lack of witnesses would be temptation enough for the dark part of him he was still working on stamping down.


	10. Chapter Nine

**-Chapter Nine-**

* * *

Two weeks later and we had our assignment for our Spanish project. We had been given a broad topic in comparison to other groups: The Aztec Empire.

I'm sure that sounded exotic to other people, but it was truly old news for me. The Aztec people were a topic of study even in my grade schools in New Mexico, when we were first getting our feet wet about Southwestern history. A lot of the events that involved the Aztecs influenced the shaping of New Mexico in one way or another.

"If you say you want to do a skit for our presentation, I'll kill you," I whispered to Jasper while everyone else was receiving their assignments. He laughed quietly.

"As long as you kill me with an atlatl, so it stays in theme." I quirked an eyebrow at him. It seemed Mr. Hale was no stranger to Aztec history himself.

"I better build an altar and sacrifice you to the gods, then, if we really want to sell it." I pushed our joking aside for a moment. "But really, what do you wanna do?"

I was also hoping he wouldn't say a poster, because I doubted we would be able to stretch it to ten minutes. Jasper's eyes flicked over the list of options we had gotten a couple of weeks ago before raising to meet mine.

"How are your PowerPoint skills?" I breathed a sigh of relief. I had been hoping he would pick that route. The similarities in our thinking just made me like Jasper more.

"You better be ready for transition animations and timed slides."

We made plans for Jasper to come to our house that weekend, so we could work on it. Both of us thought it would be better to get it done ASAP, so we didn't have to worry about it when other midterms rolled around.

I decided then and there, while we made out plans, that I would conveniently forget to mention them to Jess. Really, why did she need to know?

* * *

Jasper's arrival at my house on Saturday was signaled with the rumbling engine of a motorcycle. I didn't even know Jasper _had_ a motorcycle.

I was lucky enough to get to skip the embarrassment of introducing Jasper to my parents. They had promised to take Ava to lunch and the park to play, but they had left Gunner and his friend Derrick Glenn as sentries.

I passed the two boys on the couch on my way through the house to open the door for Jasper. Gunner wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and I gave him a solid kick.

"Thanks, Maisie. You made me die." I had no doubt that these guards my parents had dispatched would never bother to look away from their video games to check if Jasper and I were doing anything salacious like my parents feared.

"Too bad you spend so much time playing, and you still suck." I rolled my eyes at Gunner before turning on my heel to open the door.

Jasper Hale stood on my porch wearing a leather jacket that perfectly complimented his frame. His backpack was slung over his shoulder. Behind him in the driveway was a sleek and shiny motorcycle that made my used car look like a hunk of junk beside it.

"Your parents let you have a motorcycle?" Were the first dumb words out of my mouth as I stepped aside to let Jasper into the house. He was a senior, sure, but it still seemed wild to me that a seventeen or eighteen-year-old would have a _motorcycle_. Maybe that was only because I knew it would never fly with my own parents.

"Are you jealous?" Jasper teased. Neither my brother nor Derrick tore their eyes away from the TV long enough to even take note of us going up the stairs.

"No," I laughed, leading him to my bedroom. "I'm sure I would crash immediately. It really doesn't scare you?"

"It's like flying." The enthusiasm in his voice made me smile. I was happy that he was behind me, following me up the stairs, so that he didn't see it.

Having Jasper step foot into my room suddenly made me self-conscious about it. Would he think my pale pink walls, which hadn't changed since I was ten, were stupid and immature? I had left a candle burning in there…would he complain that it gave him a headache, like Gunner always did when I burned my watermelon lemonade candle?

"Um, did you bring a laptop? I have mine, I can start the PowerPoint there. But you could start doing research on yours."

Jasper smirked, slinging his backpack casually onto my desk before claiming the chair. "I brought a more traditional kind of research."

When he unzipped his backpack, I saw that it was full of books. Some were glossy, others well-worn hardbacks. Titles and authors varied, but I could make a guess about their contents.

"You read a lot?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at his bag of books. I liked to read, too, but most of my own books were fiction. It seemed Jasper had a whole collection of true-blue history texts.

"Not much." Jasper shrugged his shoulder. He pulled a notebook out of his backpack after making a neat stack of books on my desk. After tearing out a few pages, he handed them off to me. "I already started some of the research, so you can work while I do more."

We traded places, so I could set up shop on the desk. Jasper lounged on the rug on my floor, his left hand propping up his chin while he read. Every time he came across something he thought might be useful, he wrote the information and quotes in his notebook.

I tried not to get distracted by his beautiful handwriting again while I organized PowerPoint slides and plugged in the research Jasper had done. We had a comfortably quiet system going, where Jasper would occasionally hold up a sheet of paper for me or ask for a different book.

More than once, our fingers brushed as we passed things back and forth. I blushed every time, though I tried to ignore the warmth. It came as a surprise each time it happened, though, because of the coolness of Jasper's fingers despite his sweater. I certainly didn't think my room was cold.

It took Gunner almost an hour before he remembered the responsibility Mom and Dad had left him with. He stuck his head around the corner of my open door, interrupting the quiet Jasper and I had been working in.

I looked up from my laptop to glare at him, but Jasper didn't even seem to notice Gunner was there.

"Just making sure y'all still have clothes on." I could have died right there, as soon as those words left Gunner's mouth. My whole body went hot with embarrassment. I grabbed the closest thing to me—a pen—and lobbed it at Gunner's head.

He dodged it easily, laughing all the while. "You're terrible with your left hand, Maisie."

His voice was already retreating back down the stairs. I took a deep breath to steady myself before twisting in my chair to take in Jasper's obviously amused face.

"Are you the oldest?"

"No, Emmett is. I'm older than Rose, though." I was amazed at the duality of Jasper's personality. It wasn't fair that he could both be quiet and reserved, bordering on a word like shy, and also completely casual and at ease in a situation like this.

"That counts. I'm sorry for your loss." Luckily for me and my self-esteem, Jasper laughed and returned to our work. I had no clue how he wasn't embarrassed.

We worked another hour before deciding to call it quits. The PowerPoint was nearly done by the end, but I knew that was the easier part. I was dreading having to do the presentation in Spanish. I tripped over my words enough in English as it was.

My parents and Ava still weren't home when Jasper began packing up his books. He was telling me about camping with his family while he slid the book back into his backpack.

"It's actually going to be sunny on Thursday, through next weekend. Or so the _hombre del tiempo_ says." I smiled at his teasing tone and expression when he quoted my translation back to me.

"Are y'all going to Mora?" The Mora campground, close to La Push beach, was the only campground I knew about. And I only knew about it because it was the one that the Newtons regularly advertised in their shop. I really wasn't the camping type.

The pause in Jasper's movements was so brief I could have imagined it. Still, I was pretty sure there was some hesitation at my question. He suddenly seemed very focused on putting away his final book.

"Um, no. Probably not. Esme really prefers the campgrounds in Seattle, and Carlisle usually caters to her. Happy wife, happy life, and all that." Jasper slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"Well, I _guess_ I can forgive you for abandoning me in Spanish class for two days since you did all the research for this project."

He smiled his bright smile and leaned close to me, knocking my cast lightly with his fist. "You've survived worse, right?"

Despite sitting next to him for an hour every day at school, that was the closest Jasper had ever been to me. I was temporarily overwhelmed by whatever cologne he was wearing—something earthy, yet bright. When he drew away, taking the intoxicating smell with him, I was almost sad.

"I do have the cast as proof for one more week," I muttered in agreement. Jasper gave me one more of his smiles before turning towards my door.

I had already heard Gunner yell a bye at Jasper and the front door close when I realized he had left his motorcycle helmet sitting on my bed. I grabbed and hurried down the stairs, taking the steps two at a time.

"Bet you ten bucks he left that on purpose," Derrick did a terrible job of 'whispering' to Gunner. I ignored them and hurried out the door.

"Jasper!" He was already halfway to his bike, but my voice gave him pause. "You left this."

I stopped just short of where he stood. Not for the first time, I was impressed with his stature and the height difference it caused between us. I held his helmet out to him.

I was positive what happened next was no accident. There was plenty of room left on the helmet for Jasper to take it from me without touching me. Yet, when he reached out for his helmet, he set his hands so that they lay over mine.

Well, mostly my left hand, since the majority of my right was in the cast. But _still_.

I was used to the chill of his hands from all the times they had brushed mine during our work. His touch was feather-light, but certainly not lost on me when his fingers brushed gently over the back of my left hand.

Before I could really process what had happened, Jasper had taken his helmet from my hands and fitted it over his head. Frozen in my spot, I watched him straddle is bike.

"See you Monday, partner." His voice was ever so slightly muffled by the helmet. He flicked down the dark glass, covering his golden eyes, before kicking up the stand and bringing the motorcycle to life.

The roar was deafening, standing so close. Even if I managed to get my own voice to work, there's no way he would have heard me. So, instead, I waved to him.

Though I couldn't see it, something told me his face was smug underneath his helmet.


	11. Chapter Ten

**-Chapter Ten-**

* * *

Maisie greeted Jasper on Monday afternoon with a big smile that brought out the dimple in her cheek. Her mood actually _brightened_ when she laid eyes on him.

That was definitely a first for Jasper, as far as humans went.

"Did you have fun camping?" Having spent four days away from humans, the morning and lunch had been a struggle for Jasper. He hadn't spoken all day, because that required breath to carry his words. He also hadn't breathed all day.

Maisie's different kind of scent, and her proximity to him, helped drown out the smell of the other humans in the room. Jasper took his first breath—a relieved one—only once Maisie was beside him.

The more Jasper was around Maisie, the more accustomed to her scent that he became. Rather than igniting his thirst, Maisie soothed it away. There was almost something familiar about the smell, the more he took it in, but Jasper could never quite place it.

"It was nice to get away." Jasper found that he couldn't help but smile in the presence of this human girl. He reached across their table and drummed his fingertips on her cast. "When does this come off?"

Her blue eyes shined up at him. "Saturday morning! _Finally!_ "

Then the excitement in her eyes turned conspiratorial. Maisie's voice dropped to a whisper. Jasper leaned in on instinct, even though he knew he didn't need to be closer to hear her.

"Hey, did you hear about what went on while y'all were gone?"

Maisie meant the deaths. Three in Port Angeles, and another three in Forks. It was huge news for Forks…and, of course, it wasn't _good_ news. Not for Maisie, not for the other humans, and not the Cullens, either.

"Didn't Chief Swan's statement say they were animal attacks?" Jasper knew better. His whole family did. The crime—and the air in Forks—reeked of vampires. He tried to deflect Maisie away from the speculation she was trying to bait him into.

"I _guess_ that would make sense," Maisie allowed. She twirled her pen around in her left hand. "The papers say no bodies were found, but they're still being ruled as accidental deaths."

It was obvious that Maisie didn't believe the story they were pushing. Jasper doubted that Chief Swan believed it himself. Yet, that's where the population of Forks stood on the matter. Accidental deaths. No bodies as proof.

Jasper shrugged, smiled, and pushed a wave of calm towards Maisie, hoping it would erase the thoughts from her mind. "I _guess_ we'll never know."

Maisie pursed her lips at his mimicking. They trudged through their Spanish exercises and made plans for that weekend to work more on their project. Usually, Jasper enjoyed class with Maisie a lot more. If she noticed how distracted he was, she didn't let on.

He couldn't help it. His mind was on more exciting things. Jasper, Edward, and Emmett had plans after school to do a sweep of the town, to try to find the unwelcome guests who had rolled in. Just the thought thrilled him. Jasper couldn't help that, either. All those years out of Maria's army, and he still loved an upcoming fight.

* * *

Only Esme and Rosalie stayed behind, in the end. Carlisle decided someone had to in case these other vampires happened upon their house. There was a shared hope, between Carlisle and Esme, that things could be handled peacefully.

Emmett and Jasper didn't share that sentiment, but that was neither here nor there. Both of them were itching for a go at someone who couldn't read their mind, like Edward could. There were three distinct, unfamiliar scents. Which meant there were three distinct, unfamiliar vampires in town. One for each of the brothers.

 _If_ Carlisle let it come to that. Which Jasper doubted that he would. He was far too diplomatic, his adoptive father.

Edward and Alice acted as their navigation.

"They've already fed," Alice informed the others. "I don't see them moving any time soon. They're kind of just lounging around."

"They aren't even thinking about moving," Edward confirmed. "Which is good news for us. They're right next to the Quileute territory border, right, Ali?"

Even moving on foot, it didn't take them long to make up the difference between them and the strangers. Once they were close enough, Jasper knew exactly _why_ the three nomads had no intention of moving.

The scent of human blood hit him like a truck. He hated the way that he felt when this happened. Head light and swimming, stomach turning, throat burning. Jasper stopped breathing immediately.

 _You could have warned me_ , Jasper snapped at Edward. There was no time for him to reply, not if they didn't want the nomads to hear them. Jasper knew that his anger was slightly misplaced; Edward had only _heard_ their thoughts, but Alice had _seen_ them. She would have known that they still wore the fresh blood from their hunt.

Everyone slowed, letting Carlisle take the lead. There were indeed three of them: a large, dark-skinned male, a thinner, taller blonde who held himself like he might be the leader, and a lithe female with hair as red as the blood she wore like messy lipstick around her mouth. It appeared the three were about to clean themselves up in a stream.

"Hello," Carlisle called out to them. Emmett, Jasper, and Edward fell in line behind him, with Alice shielded in the back. Not that she couldn't handle herself—she could, but all the brothers were from time periods where girls were to be protected. "We don't mean to startle you."

Jasper's assessment had been right. The thin blonde stepped away from his companions, stopping about six feet from Carlisle. Not bad, as far as precautions go, but Jasper knew if anything turned bad, this man wouldn't anticipate Edward's mindreading.

The stranger's dark red eyes sized each of them up. He stood his ground, but the tense set of his muscles was obvious. His companions moved forward to flank them.

"Hello." There was a long pause between Carlisle's greeting and the leader's response. "We haven't encroached on your territory, have we?"

The way all three bore their gaze into their faces was not lost on Jasper. Apparently, they had never run into sedentary vampires.

Carlisle smiled, but cut his eyes at Jasper. Immediately, Jasper started pushing a calm wave toward the nomads. He should have done that sooner, but he had been caught off-guard by the human blood. Instead of doing his part, he had been averting his gaze from the stains on their faces and clothes.

"Just a bit," Carlisle kept his tone light. "More importantly, though, I wanted to warn you that you are very close to our _allies'_ territory."

Never would Jasper have called the Quileute werewolves their allies, but it was a good move on Carlisle's part.

"You see, my family is a bit of an anomaly in our world. We practice an…unusual diet, in addition to having a peace treaty with the local werewolves. Unfortunately, this treaty only covers my own family, and I would hate to see some of our own involved in a battle with our neighbors."

Jasper would have loved to have known what the nomads thought about this diplomacy. Had he the courage to brave breath long enough to ask, he would. But now was not the time nor the place.

"I'm Carlisle, by the way." When the silence grew too long, Carlisle was quick to fill it. "These are my children, Edward, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper. My wife, Esme, and our other daughter, Rosalie, are at our house. I would love for you to be our guests."

Perhaps it was because Carlisle had revealed the size of their coven. Perhaps it was the kindness in his voice. Perhaps it was Jasper's manipulation of their moods. Either way, something gave, and the leader of the nomads gave a smile that was more chilling than joyful.

"Thank you for the invitation. My name is James. These are my companions, Victoria and Laurent. We accept your hospitality and apologize for any boundaries we have overstepped during our time here."

So, it was settled. Thankfully, Carlisle insisted that their new friends clean up before heading to the house. Jasper and Emmett took the lead, with the nomads in the middle, and Edward, Alice, and Carlisle following behind. It was their tried and true formation. Between Emmett's brute strength and Jasper's experience, there was no getting past them. Retreat wasn't an option, either. Edward and Alice were lethal with the way they could work in tandem given their talents.

The nomads had the good sense not to try anything. Everyone made it back to the Cullen house peacefully.

"We have human neighbors." Alice piped up from the back. Of course she would be the one to think of the Thompson family. "It would be beneficial if we're all inconspicuous."

Jasper knew that what Alice really meant was _don't eat them_. He could hear them, just across the way. Maisie's parents were trying to barter with Ava, to get her to finish her vegetables. Someone had just walked out the door—likely Gunner taking out the trash, none the wiser that ten vampires were so close to him.

And Maisie. Jasper could practically see Maisie in his mind, singing along to the radio while she worked on her homework in her bedroom. There was no time to focus on Maisie, though.

"How do you handle that?" The other male, Laurent, asked. "Living so close to humans?"

Emmett held the front door open for everyone.

"It has to do with our diet," Carlisle explained. "I told you it was unusual. We don't feed on humans. Instead, we hunt animals, and drinking their blood helps us learn self-control, which allows us to blend into the human world."

Apprehension at Carlisle's words rolled off the leader. The other male was appreciative; the female was bored. Their covens' way of life was not impressive, apparently.

"How often must you feed?" Laurent asked. "More than on a human blood diet? Less?"

His questions broke the ice—and the tension. Jasper was able to relax, if only slightly. Carlisle extended a hand as an offering for their guests to take a seat in the living room with Esme and Rosalie. It was a command to his children, as well. Even if they were only playing at hospitality, they needed to put up the front.

"More often." Carlisle took a seat beside Esme on the couch, wrapping his arm around her. It was both a loving and protective gesture. "The animal blood doesn't offer as much sustenance as the human blood."

"Seems like a waste." The female was restless. She didn't sit, like her male companions. Instead, she slinked back and forth in front of the back wall of windows.

Jasper took a seat in an arm chair close to the same windows. He didn't like the way Victoria stayed in motion, as if anticipating a fight despite their efforts at civility.

"Tell me, what is the point? If the animal blood isn't as sustaining as the human blood?" James chuckled, showing just how ridiculous he thought the whole thing was. Jasper almost couldn't blame him. A handful of decades ago, he would have had the same opinion.

Victoria cut Carlisle off before he could speak. She had her nose pointed upward, as if smelling the air. "You don't ever feed on humans?"

Up until then, Edward hadn't revealed his ability to read minds. He pinned Victoria with his gaze and growled. "That's barbaric."

The strangers' eyes widened, turning toward his brother. Carlisle's eyebrows rose. "Edward is gifted. He can hear the thoughts of others. Do you care to share what you have on your mind, Victoria?"

Her voice held an undercurrent of a hiss. "You say you do not feed on the humans, yet that human girl neighbor of yours is _marked_."

She said the final word with such aggression that the room fell silent. The heavy solemnity settled over them, and Jasper didn't dare try to alter it. Not yet. Not when Edward had just exposed himself.

"You'll have to explain further. We are not lying. We don't hunt humans, so please excuse us for not being knowledgeable about this strategy." The way Edward glared at Victoria made Jasper uneasy. Only the fact that Alice seemed unconcerned kept him from moving from his chair.

"Ah, marking." Laurent appeared to be the peacekeeper of the group. "It's something we learned about during a jaunt down south. Remember, James? In Mexico."

Jasper felt his family's eyes slid to him. He shook his head, but barely so. _This is news to me, Edward._

Truly it was. He had never heard of 'marking' before.

"Yes." James drew the s into a hiss of his own. "In their wars down there. It was a new method of recruitment. Property, I guess you could say. If a leader saw a human they liked, that they wanted to change, they left a mark on them. A cut, typically, sealed with the most minute amount of venom, so that human would not change but would instead bare that vampire's mark."

"And why not change the humans immediately?" Jasper asked before he could help himself. If this was something Maria was doing, it didn't seem like her. She had great self-control when recruiting for her army. There was no reason Jasper could see for her—or the other Southern armies—to wait.

"Future planning. Humans were marked as children and given time to grow, so that none of our laws could be broken."

It took Jasper longer than it should have to connect all of the dots.

Maisie had said once that she was from New Mexico.

The silvery, almost _shimmery_ scar on her cheek.

Her smell, which in the last few weeks, Jasper had realized was almost familiar.

"Number insurance," Jasper muttered aloud, but his mind was racing. _If Maisie was marked, was she marked by Maria? What did that entail? Was his family safe here? Was_ Maisie _safe here?_

"I can assure you that if any human in this town is 'marked' as you say, that it wasn't by our hands. The treaty I mentioned earlier forbids it. Peace exists between my family and the werewolves only because we do not kill nor change humans. Which is why I invited you to my home, to explain that you are free to hunt as you need so long as it is outside of this town. That is our territory. We cannot protect you from any consequences the Quileute choose to take if you hunt here again."

* * *

Jasper hoped that would be the last they saw of those nomads. Laurent was actually intrigued by their lifestyle and was heading north to try his hand with the Cullens' cousins—another peaceful coven in Denali.

Victoria and James were headed east. When all three had left Forks, it was like a sigh of relief for all of the Cullens. In their wake, the nomads had left several questions for the family.

"You never heard of that tactic?" Emmett asked once the nomads were long out of earshot. He pulled Rosalie into his lap and nuzzled her ear. As always, Emmett wasn't truly all that concerned or worried.

"Never. It must be something more newly implemented. It wasn't ever something we used." Jasper well knew that he wouldn't be able to, either. He never had that kind of control, and he wondered if he ever would.

"No wonder her scent isn't as strong." Alice tilted her head quizzically. She had already pieced it together that Maisie was the marked human the nomads were talking about. "I guess that does make sense. But I thought any venom in the blood stream led to a change?"

Carlisle shrugged. "Perhaps I was wrong."

He had personally changed Edward, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett.

"You recreated your own wounds for me," Edward was stumped by this revelation about their own kind. If anyone could work it out, it would be Edward and Carlisle.

"Yes. I had to use even more venom for Esme, Rose, and Em, due to the blood loss." Alice didn't recall her own transformation, nor her human life. Vampire life was the only one that she knew. "Do you recall your own, Jasper?"

"One bite," he mumbled. "I don't know how much venom that would be."

"If she's marked, whatever the hell that means, it better not effect us." Rosalie, of course, was not happy about the news.

"I suppose it could work like a poisonous agent in the blood," Edward mused, as if Rose hadn't spoken at all. "Perhaps such a minute amount had some short-term effects, but nothing major."

"Jasper," Esme spoke quietly, an aside from the main conversation taking place. "You have a friendship of sorts with this girl, don't you? Do you think you could ask her about it without revealing us?"

Just the thought put a pit in Jasper's stomach. He hated to be tasked with it, but he hated the thought of disappointing Esme more.

Jasper swallowed. Hard. "I suppose I could try."

* * *

 **A/N:** Yes, yes, I know I played a little loose with the way vampires work in the _Twilight_ world. But this is fanfiction, so I'm allowed! I hope you liked the way I incorporated the OG _Twilight_ baddies into this story!

Thank you for all the kind reviews I have received. I hope you continue to enjoy this story!


	12. Chapter Eleven

**-Chapter Eleven-**

* * *

I think I was more excited to get my cast off than I had been about anything else in my life.

"Are you ready to say goodbye?" Dr. Cullen asked me on Sunday evening. I let him lift my casted hand to inspect it. "Looks like you took good care of it."

I had sure tried to. I didn't want any reason to have to go any longer without the use of my dominant hand.

"I don't know, I've kind of gotten attached to it."

"Well, let's hope it's only an emotional attachment." I had no idea before then, but casts are taken off with tiny circular saws. The saw didn't cut my skin, not even one tiny nick, but it cut through the plaster of the cast like it was air. Before I knew it, Dr. Cullen was sliding the cast off my arm.

"Oh, gross," I muttered, making Dr. Cullen chuckle. Something else I didn't expect: how dirty my arm would be under the cast. It had looked so clean from the outside, before the cast was removed.

"Don't worry," Dr. Cullen soothed. "Everyone has that reaction when a cast comes off."

With the cast out of the way, he took my hand carefully into his. Dr. Cullen pressed gently around the new scar I bore on my thumb. "No pain?"

I doubted anyone would feel pain with how gentle Dr. Cullen was, but I shook my head anyway.

He had me run through some exercises. Make a fist, curl your thumb, move it in a circle. My thumb was stiff from disuse, but it was definitely moveable. It just felt weird, after so many weeks of being immobile.

"Looks like you're fully healed. Though, I would advise avoiding driftwood-based pranks in the future." Dr. Cullen's calling me out and the wink that accompanied it made me blush.

"I'll keep that in mind," I told him.

Having my hand back felt weird. Dr. Cullen had advised me not to ignore my right hand, because it would need to be used to build back strength after so long not being used. I kept twirling it in the air, just to bug Gunner.

"I'm gonna cut it off if you keep it up." I wiggled all my fingers in his face in response. He smacked my hand out of the way. Everything was much easier now that I had two hands again.

"Warn Jasper before your annoying ass drives him crazy this afternoon," Gunner was entirely done with me. Unfortunately for him, I was entirely unable to contain my excitement. Also, unfortunately for Gunner, I 'borrowed' his desk chair so Jasper would have somewhere to sit while we worked on our project.

My parents were home this time when Jasper came over, which made introductions necessary. Jasper held his helmet under one arm and extended the other to shake first my mom's and then my dad's hands.

Dad, of course, noted the presence of the helmet.

"You ride a motorcycle." Dad raised an eyebrow, Jasper's hand still encased in his. It wasn't a question so much as it was a statement.

"Only short distances." Jasper's smile was sheepish. "Carlisle and Esme don't allow much more, but we _are_ neighbors."

I guess that sufficed for Dad, because he nodded appreciatively and sent us up to my room. I think I took the stairs at least two at a time, because I very much wanted to be alone, upstairs, so I could show Jasper. We had barely slid into our seats before the words were tumbling out of my mouth.

"Jasper!" I pulled my sleeve up to show him the cast was gone. I was so excited to be able to wear whatever I wanted without having to worry about the cast stretching my clothes. "Look. I'm free."

He smiled and took my hand, holding it palm up in one of his own. Jasper traced the scar, from where it started in my palm, following the trail of it as it wrapped around my thumb.

My eyes flicked upward, first to Jasper's face, then to my doorway. To my relief, the doorway was empty. As for Jasper's face, his brows were slightly furrowed in concentration.

Just like on that last Saturday, his touch was gentle and light. He traced my scar slowly, carefully.

Jasper peeked up at me beneath his lashes, his golden eyes almost hesitant. "It doesn't hurt?"

"No," I told him. I seemed unable to make my voice more than a whisper. "Not at all."

When he reached the end, towards the middle of my thumb, he traced back down to my palm.

"And you don't mind the scar?"

"Scars tell stories, don't they?" My sentiment made Jasper smirk. I truly forgot that we were sitting in my bedroom, with the door open for any one of my family members to see. Something about his holding my hand made everything else fall away, so that it was like Jasper and I were in a different time and place.

Jasper held my hand for what felt like a life time. Eventually, though, he let it go with another soft smile. "You've got a pretty good story with that one."

It was hard for me to focus on our project after that. How was I supposed to concentrate when Jasper's touch still tingled along my skin? My fingers felt clumsy over the keys of my laptop as we worked through the PowerPoint.

"We should probably, um, have the same wait time for every slide. The only problem there is that you're a lot better at Spanish than I am." I tried to make a joke out of it, but I was terrified to present with Jasper. Our one-on-one conversations in class were one thing. Now _everyone_ would know how much better Jasper was at Spanish than I was.

"Let's not worry about the time on the slides, yet." Jasper spun my chair so that I was facing him. Here in my bedroom, we sat a lot closer than we ever did in class. I was overly aware of our legs touching. "We still have two months until we have to present. Do you want to do the even or odd slides?"

That was the format of the project, if you chose a PowerPoint: you had to alternate slides and talking with your partner.

"Please don't make me start it." I guess the desperation in my voice kept Jasper from laughing. A smile _almost_ flashed onto his lips, but it dropped as soon as it came. Instead, his face became serious.

Softly, gently, he pushed a piece of my hair away from my face and tucked it behind my ear. "You really are scared, aren't you?"

I lifted my eyes to his. I couldn't manage much more than a nod. I truly was terrified. Presentations were awful enough as they were, let alone doing them in a foreign language with a partner who was completely fluent.

I pulled my sleeves over my hands, like I could hide. "I'm gonna look dumb next to you."

I said it because it was the truth, not because I wanted to be comforted or placated. Somehow, Jasper seemed to understand that.

"Let's take a break from this." He motioned to my laptop with his hand. The other slipped its way into mine again. "Think your parents would let you go somewhere with me?"

"Not on your motorcycle," I giggled at just the thought of how red my dad's face would get. "But we could take my car."

I told my parents we were going to get ice cream. It was the first reason to leave the house that I could think of. Forks was such a small town that my parents didn't even hesitate to allow us to go.

"Did you really want ice cream?" Jasper shrugged into his leather motorcycle jacket while we walked to my car.

"Um, maybe? I don't know. That was just my excuse to leave."

"Mind if I drive, then?" I tossed Jasper my keys without a second thought. He opened the passenger side door for me. Jasper turned the heater all the way up and cracked the driver side window.

"Sorry," he apologized, his face taking on that sheepish look again. "I like the fresh air."

"So that's why you ride a motorcycle." His only response came in the form of one of his blinding smiles. It was not lost on me that I had only seen Jasper smile in two situations: when he was with his siblings, or when he was with me.

Jasper drove _fast_. Faster than I had realized my car could go. _That_ , I thought, _has to be another motorcycle thing_. Despite the speed, I wasn't worried. Somehow, I knew we wouldn't crash. He was driving away from town, too, past his own house, so I doubted any of the sparse Forks police officers would be pulling us over.

I didn't bother to ask where we were going. My parents, ever concerned with our schoolwork, had told us to be back within two hours. Surely, wherever we were going, it wouldn't take that long.

"You like beaches, right?" I nodded. Jasper took a turn I hadn't realized was there. He parked my car just off the road, before it could sink into the fine grains of sand I could see through the window.

"If I come back in need of stitches again, though, I don't think either of our dads are going to be very happy." Carlisle _had_ just taken my cast off that morning. Jasper flashed another smile at me.

"Don't worry. My Mike Newton impression isn't ready to be taken that far yet." Before I could reach for the handle, Jasper was at the passenger door, opening it for me once again. I knew we were somewhat close to the shore, where our houses were situated in an expanse of forest on the edge of town, but I hadn't realized we were this close.

The terrain of this beach was unlike any I had seen. We usually went to First Beach, in La Push. This beach didn't even look like it was off this earth.

Driftwood littered the sand so heavily that you could hardly see it underneath. Large outcroppings of jagged, irregular rocks dotted the beach here and there. Unlike the rest of Forks, and in spite of all the driftwood, there was no foliage in sight.

"What is this place?" My voice came in a reverent whisper. I stepped away from Jasper, picking a path between all the driftwood below my feet. Aside from the genteel lapping of the waves, it was eerily silent.

"I don't know." Jasper's louder voice startled me. He was light on his feet. I didn't realize he was easily keeping pace with me until he spoke. "Rose found this place. She likes it. I thought you might, too."

I _did_ like it. The beach was almost monochromatic, just varying shades of gray between the driftwood, rocks, sea, and sky. I didn't know that this landscape, so alien yet clean in its uniformity, was exactly what I needed to distract me.

But Jasper did. I didn't know how he knew, but he _did._

"You've been before, then?" I deflated just a little at the idea of being alone in my wonder at this place. Jasper shook his head, the sea breeze playing with his hair. That blonde hair of his seemed to bright for a place like this.

"Rose only told me about it. This is the first time I've been."

I smiled then and reached for his hand. "Let's explore together."

More than once, Jasper had to right me when I slipped here and there on the driftwood. The winds and tides had polished them smooth, so that my feet had trouble finding traction there. It took us some time, but we eventually made our way down the length of the beach.

At one end was an abandoned pier that was in surprisingly good condition. It looked sturdy, but even so, Jasper insisted on walking across it before offering me a hand and pulling me up.

"I told you it was fine." I nearly stuck my tongue out at him, like Ava might.

"You can't swim. My letting you drown would make our fathers more infuriated than another thumb injury would." I didn't pause to wonder how Jasper knew I couldn't swim. People in Forks talked like they breathed. I couldn't remember if I had told Jasper myself, but if I hadn't, it wasn't unreasonable to think he had heard it from somewhere else.

"That's fair. I never did like the idea of drowning, anyway, unless it comes with the guarantee of turning into a mermaid."

Jasper took a seat on the pier, letting his feet dangle over the edge. As we were still connected by the hands, I was pulled down, too.

"Are you superstitious?" His question made me laugh, because it seemed out of the blue.

"What do you mean?"

"You told me you were scared of the dark, now this talk about mermaids…" I realized that he was teasing me.

"Hey, most of the ocean is unexplored. You can't tell me that mermaids one-hundred percent aren't real."

I liked the easy flow of conversation between us. It reminded me of the ocean below, with its fluid currents.

"And what's in the dark?" Jasper asked once he had finished laughing.

"Oh, I don't know. Ghosts and demons, probably."

* * *

We finished the PowerPoint after our beach break. Jasper promised to handle the translation of the talking points of our presentation.

"I'll even write you some cue cards," he told me with a wink, zipping his leather motorcycle jacket up. This time, he made a point of plucking his helmet from my desk.

"Actually, that would be fabulous. I know you're saying to tease me, but really, could you do that?"

Jasper smirked and shook his head at my words. "Sure. I'll get them to you Monday."

My day spent with Jasper left a happy, warm feeling in my chest. It even seeped into my dreams, but only until around midnight, unfortunately. At that time, I felt my comforter being lifted. When I cracked my eyes open, there was Ava, letting herself into my bed.

"Can I sleep with you?" Her little voice sounded strained in the darkness. I scooted over to let her into my bed. Once she was settled, I tucked the blankets around her.

"What's wrong?" I asked her. This wasn't like Ava. She loved being a 'big girl' too much.

"Someone was tapping on my window." My head was too foggy with sleep to notice how Ava worded that sentence. Instead, I only let her cuddle up with and fell back to sleep.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**-Chapter Twelve-**

* * *

By the time Monday rolled around, I had convinced myself that it was Ava's little girl imagination. There was a big tree just outside her window. Surely, she only saw the branches in the dark. The moonlight had tricked her eyes. Ava only thought it was a person, not a tree branch, tapping against her window.

Right?

I refused to entertain any other possibilities, anyway. This was easy when I was with my friends, mostly because the buzz of my cast coming off was the most exciting thing—save for those mysterious deaths—that had happened in weeks. Talk of the deaths had blown over surprisingly quickly once Officer Swan dismissed them as animal attacks.

"Is it always going to be so… _red_?" Lauren asked, her little snub nose crinkling in disdain. It was a new scar, so it was still puffy and red. Underneath, my muscles and ligaments had healed. The skin above was taking longer.

"All scars eventually fade," Angela interjected. "I wouldn't worry about it."

"I'm not." I wasn't. How could I mind it so much, when Jasper had so carefully and gently followed the trail of it?

When I showed Mike the scar, his face first paled and then brightened. "So, it's really okay?"

He had hardly talked to me since the accident. I moved my thumb in a circle for him.

"Good as new. Dr. Cullen said it healed perfectly." Mike's sigh of relief made it seem like his whole body deflated. Tyler clapped him hard on the back, nearly knocking him over.

"See, Mike. I've always told you that you're not the lady killer you think you are." Ty's laughter lasted long after the bell broke us up to go to class. It rang through the hallway while everyone dispersed.

Keeping the conspiratorial thoughts at bay was more difficult during my study hall hour. Here, I had no friends, and besides, we were supposed to be studying. Focusing on _Othello_ was easier said than done once I was alone with my mind. Not even headphones and music were distracting me.

 _What if it wasn't the tree?_ I asked myself. Never mind that when I questioned Ava, she hadn't been able to tell me anything other than she was absolutely certain it was a person at her window. _But how? Unless they were in the tree._

We all had second-story bedrooms.

 _What if it was_ her? By _her_ , I meant the mysterious woman who had given me my scar. I ran my finger over the spot on my cheek, remembering the burn of the cut when it was fresh, the way the woman's eyes had turned red when she licked my blood from her lips.

Suffice it to say I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone pulled my headphone from my ear.

"Did I startle you?" Jasper. While my heart took its time slowing down, he was quietly laughing at me reaction.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" Stubborn deflection. I didn't want him to see my embarrassment. He didn't have study hall this period.

He gave me a casual shrug and flashed a bathroom pass at me. "Seems I'm allowed."

I rolled my eyes at him. His hand moved to his pocket, withdrawing a small stack of notecards.

"I wanted to make sure you got these." The notes he had promised me, written in his looping hand. Each of my talking points, perfectly translated into Spanish, I was sure. I started to flip through them when his words fully registered.

"Wait…don't tell me you won't be in Spanish." I pleaded with him. "Not again! I hate having to be a third wheel in someone else's group."

Jasper's smile was slow and easy. "Señora Marquez won't be in class either. A sub. We'd only be watching a movie."

"So, you're skipping?" First his motorcycle, and now this. What a bad boy Jasper Hale was proving to be.

"Only if you'll go with me."

Skipping Spanish. With Jasper Hale. Jessica was going to die. I had _never_ skipped school before….

"Yes." The word came tumbling out of my mouth before I had given it any thought. "I'll go with you."

The smile on Jasper's face grew brighter. "Meet me in the parking lot, then."

He replaced the headphone he dislodged before standing to leave. I was amazed with myself. I, who had never skipped school, had just agreed to skip school with a boy. Not just any boy, either. _Jasper Hale_.

Now there was definitely no hope in my trying to read _Othello_.

* * *

It was too big a secret to keep. I ended up texted Jess, even though I knew that was liable to get us caught, considering the hard time Jessica herself had keeping her mouth shut.

 _Shut UP_. Jessica's first text chimed on my phone. There were about fifties others after that, the gist of which was her demanding details as soon as we got back.

 _If you come back!_ Jess' last text read, with a string of emojis suggesting some rather unchaste things following it.

I don't even know how I made it through the rest of the class periods. I swore Jess to secrecy, which I knew was a longshot, so she wouldn't say anything at lunch. She actually surprised me.

"What's with you today?" Mike asked her. Jess was practically bouncing in her chair, those curls of hers going wild. Having to keep the secret was manifesting physically for her.

"I drank, like, three of those coffee things today. You know, those mocha ones from the vending machines?" It was a good lie. Jessica _did_ love the vending machine coffee from school, for whatever reason.

Mike just shook his head at her. When he turned his head to talk to Ben, Jessica sent me a sly wink. I didn't even touch my lunch, because I was sure I would throw up from nerves if I did. Instead, I asked Lauren about her nails—bright pink acrylics—because I knew that would start her on a tangent and keep attention away from me.

Forks High's parking lot truly was an exercise in trust. Set back from the campus, behind the buildings, it was a total blind spot. It's really a wonder that more skipping didn't occur, considering how easy it proved to be.

Jasper was waiting for me, leaning casually against the back wall of the gym, which was the farthest building on the Forks High campus. The rest of my classmates must have been rule-followers, just like I had been that morning before Jasper suggested we skip. I didn't pass a soul on my way across campus.

I still wasn't sure why I had said yes.

I had my answer when Jasper's smile lit up his face.

"Ready?" He asked in a conspiratorial whisper, even though we were alone. I smiled back at him and nodded. Jasper took my hand, leading me not to my car, as I had thought, but to his motorcycle.

"You planned this," I accused. His bemused smile turned sheepish. "How did you know Señora Marquez would be out today?"

"I have my ways." Before I could question him further, Jasper gently slid a helmet I had never seen before over my head. "Alice's. She rides with me, sometimes."

You would think the inside of a used motorcycle helmet would smell gross, like old sweat. This was not the case for Alice's helmet. The inside smelled lovely, like the most cloying perfume I had ever known. It was vaguely reminiscent of Jasper's own smell, though this was like a bright burst of citrus and flowers.

Jasper put on his own sleek, glossy black helmet. He straddled the bike but didn't yet move the kickstand up. He patted the space just behind him. "You sit here."

I followed Jasper's muffled instructions. It took me a moment to situate myself on the back. I was not very tall, and swinging my leg over took some effort.

"You better hold on if you don't want to fall off." Stupidly, I hadn't thought of that. Riding the motorcycle with Jasper would mean touching him. Nervously, I wrapped my arms loosely around his middle. Even though I was barely touching him, I felt the rumble of his laugh in his chest.

Everything happened so fast. Jasper was obviously more experienced riding the motorcycle than he had told my parents. In one swift motion, the kickstand was up, and we were in motion. It only took one turn, not even fast or extreme, for me to tighten my grip on Jasper. I felt him laughing again, but I couldn't hear it over the sound of the engine.

"Don't let me fall!" I was shouting, but I wasn't sure that Jasper could hear me, either.

"Trust me!" He yelled back. "I won't!"

Riding with Jasper felt like flying. Logically, I knew the road was beneath us, but there was no sensation of it. I felt weightless, tethered only by my arms wrapped so tightly around Jasper's waist. At the same time, though, I rode with my eyes closed and my head tucked into the space between his shoulder blades.

Suffice it to say, it came as no surprise to me that I didn't noticed when we stopped. The rumbling sound the engine made had ingrained itself in me, so that I missed the moment when it ceased. Jasper's teasing voice was the only way I knew the ride had ended.

"You can let go now, Maisie." I let my grip go slack and picked my head up. Through the tinted glass on the helmet, I could see that we were in the forest. Which, in Forks, meant next to nothing unless you were extremely familiar with the wilderness.

Jasper had stopped the motorcycle off the road, just before the line of trees. My legs were shaking with the adrenaline of the ride, so that Jasper had to lend me a hand in dismounting. He stashed his motorcycle behind a tree, along with our helmets.

"Um, I didn't really plan hiking attire when I got dressed today." I took a glance down at my outfit: a maroon colored sweater with a swingy black skirt, my legs covered in knit gray tights, booties—certainly not hiking boots—on my feet.

"It's not a hike," Jasper reassured me. "It _is_ a secret, though. Which means I'll have to swear _you_ to secrecy."

I mimed zipping my lips, which must have been confirmation enough, because Jasper offered me his hand. I slipped mine into his and began to follow his lead. We took a winding little path, but it definitely wasn't a hiking trail. It was well-worn enough that no foliage grew on the little dirt path, but the ground was even and easy to traverse.

"You're very trusting," Jasper mused as we walked. "First, you let me take you to that beach. Now you're letting me lead you through this forest. Did you even pay attention to where we were going on the ride here?"

If it weren't for the light, joking, familiar tone to his words, they might have come off as menacing. But with the slow lilt of his accent, it was hard to imagine anything Jasper said would be negative.

"You told me yourself to trust you," I reminded him. "Besides…I told my friend, Jessica, that I was skipping with you. She's got a pretty big mouth, so, I mean, if I don't come back, Forks will definitely know where I was."

Jasper didn't show any change, if what I said gave him any pause. We continued our leisurely stroll through the forest until we reached a clearing. I'm not sure that's the right word for it. The space was so small, that I wasn't certain that it justified such a word.

There was a bed of moss and grass at the bottom of a row of trees. The trees themselves were so tall, and grown so closely together, that their branches and leaves created something like a roof.

"Why is it a secret?" I asked. Quietly. This place seemed to require hushed tones. When Jasper shrugged, the motion moved my hand, too.

"It's my secret," Jasper elaborated. "I like to come here to read. Even when it's raining, if you're under the branches, you would never know."

I could see him there, his blonde hair brightly contrasted against all the green of the leaves and moss and grass. Stretched out on his stomach, propped up on his elbows, chin resting in one hand while the other turned the pages, just the same way he read in my bedroom. No concern for the forest floor staining his clothes; no, Jasper was much too much of an invested reader, the type who got lost in the pages and forgot about his physical surroundings.

"It's quiet here," he said, like it was justification. I got the impression that this place wasn't just Jasper's secret, this place was Jasper.

"What if I steal your secret place now?" I was joking, but Jasper was, too.

"You'll never find it. You hid your face the whole way here, you don't know the way." He certainly wasn't wrong about that.

I wanted to ask why he thought to show me this place, but I didn't. It was enough to stand there with him, under the canopy of leaves, all the sounds of the forest lost in this tiny, padded hollow.

Besides, I knew I needed to soak up all the quiet that I could. There wouldn't be any left in all of Forks once Jessica got her hands on me later.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**-Chapter Thirteen-**

* * *

Get her out of the school. That had been the game plan. None of the other humans in Forks, save for the Quileute tribe, what with their legends of the Cold Ones, would question red eyed people. If they noticed them at all, that is.

But Maisie would. She knew, even without knowing that she knew. There was a definite danger in that, especially when two of the nomads decided to be disingenuous with their intentions to leave Forks.

Alice had been so worked up over it last night that Jasper nearly asked Carlisle if he was sure vampires couldn't faint. He was certain Alice would. She looked paler, somehow, even though her eyes hadn't even begun to darken since her last feed. The words had fallen so quickly from her mouth that it was a wonder she didn't trip over them.

 _"They lied,"_ Alice had told them. _"They're coming back, for her, to make their own army."_

Her vision had shown them taking her from school. Unlike the Cullens, these nomads didn't care how much attention they drew to themselves. The plan was quickly formulated. Emmett and Rosalie 'stayed home' from school, to intercept the nomads. Edward and Alice went, like a regular day, to man that front. Carlisle and Esme were helping Emmett and Rosalie.

Jasper's job had been simple. Get her out of school. It was simply a stroke of luck—the only stroke of luck they had so far—that Señora Marquez was gone, providing Jasper with an excuse to skip school.

So, he had decided to bring her to his special spot, the one he had never shown anyone else. It was the first thing he could think of.

Now he had her there, sitting in his secret place, while Emmett and Rose and Carlisle and Esme were handling it. For once, he didn't wish he were a part of the fray. He would rather be here, making sure that Maisie was safe.

"How did you find this place?" She asked him now, fighting a yawn. Jasper hadn't realized before that she was so tired. Here, in the quiet softness of this little place of his, the sleepiness was started to set into her. He could feel it.

"I like to go on walks. Are you tired?"

"Yeah…Ava's been asking to sleep with me, and she's kind of a bed hog." When was the last time Jasper had slept? Certainly not sense he had been a vampire. But he couldn't say for sure that he had even in the days leading up to his transformation. He had been involved in a war, after all, both before and after.

There was a beat of silence while Jasper tried to remember why a little girl might have difficulty sleeping.

"Does she have nightmares?" Now Maisie was quiet for a beat before she shook her head.

"No. She thinks someone was tapping on her window the other night, but I'm sure it was just the tree outside. Ava's not having it, though."

Had Jasper still had blood in his veins, he was sure it would have run cold. Even with this tiny bit of information, he knew that it wasn't the tree. There was no way. It had to have been either James or Victoria. Checking, he was certain, to see exactly _which_ of the Thompson girls was the one that was marked.

"Kids can have big imaginations, huh?"

Somewhere in this forest, Jasper could hear Emmett. He was hot on one of the nomad's tail, though Jasper wasn't sure if it was James or Victoria. They must have followed Jasper and Maisie, but he wasn't worried. He knew that Emmett wouldn't let any harm come to the girl.

Jasper just had to make sure that Maisie didn't see anything she shouldn't.

"I'm surprised you don't believe her…what with your ghosts and demons and mermaids and all." A blush colored Maisie's cheeks. It didn't touch her scar on her cheek. That remained pale, like his own skin. Before he could think better of it, Jasper ran his thumb over that place.

Now that he knew, he could clearly smell the undercurrent of Maria's scent on Maisie. He knew, even without asking, that Maria had been the one to leave the mark.

Under his thumb, the scar was smoother and cooler than the skin surrounding it. Jasper was reminded of the skin of his own kind, out of place here on Maisie's cheek.

Maisie raised her eyes to meet his. They were a darker shade of blue than usual, and moist almost. His hand was still on her cheek. He meant to ask her about the scar; he was _supposed_ to ask her. _Esme asked me to ask her._

In the secrecy of the natural alcove, however, it was a hard task. The warmth of Maisie's body rolled off her in waves. Typically, this would have had Jasper nearly out of his mind with bloodlust. But this was Maisie, and Maisie didn't smell like other humans. Her scent was heavy here, too, bringing him that sense of calm as it always did, even as he heard his brother struggling miles away. It was nearly intoxicating

Jasper tried to remind himself that the had an objective, a task to complete. He tried to focus on the sounds of Emmett, miles away but still in his range.

He hoped his voice didn't sound as strangled as it felt in his throat.

"They tell stories, right?" Jasper asked, running his thumb along that too-cold scar again. "How did you get this one?"

Maisie's eyes clouded with indecision just before her gaze dropped away from his.

"A cat scratch." It must have been an old lie, one she had rehearsed for years. The words were wooden and hollow, like a reflex.

"That's all?" Maisie's mood was turning from defensive to indecisive. Getting her to tell him the whole story would be so easy—all it would take is one tiny tweak to her mood. Still, Jasper refused. Just the thought of manipulating Maisie for his own gains caused a heavy pit to form in his middle.

Under his gaze, Maisie bit her lip and nodded. Jasper resisted the urge to sigh. He wished he had Edward's mindreading, so he could see her thoughts. Edward had already described what he had been able to glean from Maisie's mind—Maria's face, eyes shifting from black to red—but for whatever reason, that wasn't enough for Jasper.

Feeling the vampire's skin that formed Maisie's scar wasn't enough. Smelling that undercurrent of Maria's scent in Maisie's blood wasn't enough. He wanted to _know._ Every little detail, so he could analyze it, put the puzzle pieces together to understand Maria's game. It was his militaristic mindset coming through, for sure.

 _Change tactics._ Jasper picked up Maisie's hand again, from where it had been resting against the moss. Slipping his fingers through hers, he forced a smile onto his face.

"That's certainly a less exciting story than this one."

"Well," Maisie's mood was already brightening. She reminded him of Alice, in a way. His sister didn't like to hold on to heavy things, either. "I've stepped up my game since then."

She smiled up at him, and Jasper was struck again with how pretty she was. The proximity didn't help, either. The longer he sat there with her, the foggier his head became.

He could kiss her. Easily.

It was such a small difference between them. No effort at all to close the gap. Which he very nearly did, and would have, were it not for Emmett's _roar_ of frustration booming through the forest. There was no other way to describe the sound. Though he was mile's away, Emmett's voice was loud and the anger and irritation coursing through him filled the air, at least to Jasper.

The sound made Maisie jump—closer to Jasper, he noticed—her hand seeking his own. "Was that a bear?"

There was hardly any voice in her words. Now her heart was pounding, creating a roar of its own in her terror.

 _Close enough_ , Jasper thought, almost smirking at the comparison Maisie had drawn. She had no idea how close to the mark she was, with Emmett's human life ending in a bear attack. No time was left for humor, though. Foot steps were approaching, even if they were miles away yet.

"Probably. Just in case…leather would be more protective than a sweater," Jasper said instead, shrugging out of his jacket and holding it out for Maisie. His jacket, Jasper hoped, would cover her scent. Maisie obediently stuck her arms through the sleeve, sitting still while Jasper pulled the zipper up.

He wished he had Alice's helmet as well, to cover Maisie's hair, but the helmet was with the motorcycle. If he had the jacket and the helmet, he was confident she could have passed as a vampire, but that wasn't an option. Taking Maisie's hand, Jasper began to run, trying to keep an acceptable human pace and not drag her along. She was too scared to speak, but Maisie kept peeking over her shoulder, anticipating a bear that would never come.

"Sit in front," Jasper instructed once they reached the motorcycle.

"I don't know how—" Maisie was shaking her head, her eyes wide.

"You won't need to drive," Jasper explained, gently pushing her forward. "I will. I just want you covered."

He placed himself behind Maisie, chest pressed to her back, arms laid over top of hers. "Just hold on and trust me."

With his hands over Maisie's, Jasper brought the motorcycle to life. Emmett and the nomad were still quite a ways a way, thankfully, and they still had half of the class period left. Jasper took an opposite, winding route back to the school, hoping it would give Emmett and the others time to handle things.

Once Jasper himself had calmed a bit, he felt the intensity with which Maisie was shaking. He tried to infuse some of his calm into her.

"Hey." Jasper dipped his head, close to her ear, speaking up so she could hear him over the engine and through her helmet. "Hey, you're okay. You're safe now."

He desperately hoped those words were true. Circumstances didn't allow Jasper to slow the motorcycle by much, but he slowed as much as he could, hoping the reduced speed would also calm Maisie. Her heart began to slow, and her fear to ebb, only when Forks High was in sight again. It seemed she needed the familiarity of the school to right herself. Even after stopping the motorcycle, both Jasper and Maisie paused.

"Are you okay?" Jasper gently slid the helmet from her head. Though he could feel her mood evening out, he suddenly felt the need to see her facial expression. Her eyes were still wide, the leftover adrenaline making them liquid and bright. But when Maisie turned to look at him, a smile slowly spread across her face.

"Yeah," she said eventually. "That was wild, huh?"

Her laughter was nervous, but Jasper was thankful for it.

"You're sure you're good?" Jasper asked, not at all minding when, again, Maisie slid her hand into his.

"Yeah, I'll be fine!" Maisie's words barely beat the shrill tone of the bell. Their skipping period was over. Inhaling deeply, Jasper was unable to detect any foreigners in the vicinity. "We better get to class."

Still, he made it a point to walk Maisie to her next class. When she tried to return his jacket, he refused. He wanted her to keep it, to have his scent continue to cover hers. It was the only form of protection he could offer at the moment without drawing attention.

"You know where to find me," Jasper told her with a wink, holding the classroom door open for her and enjoying the blush creeping into her cheeks again.

Once he was certain that Maisie was safe—as safe as she could be right now, anyway—in the classroom, Jasper walked back out the door and into the courtyard. He didn't care if he got in trouble by some teacher.

Putting his phone to his ear, so he would at least have some kind of cover, he called out to his brother in an entirely different way.

 _Eddy, bring Alice. Em needs help._


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**-Chapter Fourteen-**

* * *

I got lucky again.

Despite the fact that I was _wearing Jasper Hale's jacket_ , Jessica had been distracted by a new piece of gossip while I was gone: Charlie Swan, Forks Chief of Police, would soon be reunited with his daughter.

"We'll finally have a new kid again!" Jess nearly squealed. I guess she had forgotten that the Cullens were still wearing the title of 'new kids' for most of our classmates.

"What's her name again?" I asked. I didn't bother to call attention to Jasper's jacket, nor offer up information about our skipping. I knew Jess would eventually remember.

"Um, I think it was Isabelle? Isabella? One of those. She never hung out with any of us when she would come during the summers when we were kids. She was always at the Reservation."

That's what everyone in Forks called the Quileute land. The Reservation.

"When is she coming?" I shrugged out of Jasper's jacket and carefully put it in my backpack while we stood at my locker. Gunner would for sure question me, and he would rat me out as quickly as possible if he knew I had skipped.

I would have rather kept it on. Jasper's jacket was soft, well-worn and warm. Not to mention the fact that it smelled just like him, which I had come to really love.

 _"Tomorrow,"_ Jessica's dramatics were in full effect. "I don't know how I'm so late on this gossip. I mean, _Lauren_ had to tell me, and I'm usually the one to tell Lauren everything!"

She wasn't exaggerating. Jessica had no problem digging through dirt to find things out, and Lauren had no problem dispatching Jessica to do just that.

I walked out of school with Jessica, only half-listening as she rambled on. Most of my focus was dedicated to trying to find Jasper in the crowds of students, but it was futile. Not even the silver Volvo was in the parking lot, let alone Jasper or his motorcycle. I was surprised by how much that actually made me sad.

"Hey," I told Jessica once I caught sight of Gunner's red hair. "Call me when you get home to tell me the rest? Gunner's looking bored over there."

That was only half-true. Gunner was actually talking to a sophomore girl named Hannah that I knew he had a crush on. They were waiting leisurely at the edge of the parking lot. When I walked by them, I tugged on Gunner's backpack strap but didn't rush him.

A few moments alone in the car would probably do me some good.

I watched Gunner wrap up his conversation with Hannah. They must have exchanged numbers; they pulled their phones out at one point.

"Thanks for not being a cock-block," Gunner said, sliding into the passenger seat. "Just for that, maybe I won't tell Mom and Dad about you skipping with Jasper Hale."

I felt my eyes first widen and then settle into a glare as I turned to face him. "Remember Hannah's number in your phone when you feel the urge. I could have pulled you away from that, but I was kind enough to let you make your move."

Gunner laughed. He loved having any kind of dirt on me. "I'll really make sure my lips are sealed if you help cover for me on Saturday. I got detention, but I don't think Mom and Dad particularly need to know."

Even though I was driving, I held my hand out for Gunner's detention slip. I wanted to see what he was in for. _Excessive tardiness_ , the little pink slip read.

"Oh, you didn't even do anything _fun_ ," I mumbled. "We'll tell them we're going to Port Angeles. I'll drop you off for detention and then hide out at Jess' house or something."

"See, you can be useful. I'm mad you didn't get caught."

"Señora Marquez wasn't there today. Subs don't know any better. Why are you always late to first period? I know what time you get to school."

I was sure that Gunner rolled his eyes, even though I didn't turn my head to check.

"Would _you_ want to engage in physical education at seven-thirty in the morning?" He had a point there, if only for himself. Gunner was not a morning person. He had a hard enough time getting dressed in the morning, let alone running laps or playing flag football.

"Okay, whatever. You have a deal. _But_ it's a one-time condition. You can't try to nail me on this if you get detention again and I don't cover for you."

"Deal." We shook hands once we were parked in our driveway. Sometimes I envied Ava. Unless there was another 'angel we didn't know we needed' at some point, she wouldn't have to deal with the intricacies of a sibling close in age.

Gunner was good to his word, though. Not that he had many chances to snitch on me, with the way he kept his face glued to his phone, texting back and forth with Hannah. Looking at him, you would have thought it was going to kill him to put his phone away for dinner.

"Exciting news in Forks, I hear," Dad said at the table. Gunner and I made eye contact over our salads. Already we had forgotten about the newcomer to town, both of us distracted by another person. "Charlie Swan's daughter is coming home at last."

"Oh, yeah." Gunner recovered first. "I heard that."

"She'll be in your grade, I think." Mom nodded her head toward me. She herself was preoccupied, cutting Ava's pasta into smaller pieces.

"Yeah, Jess said she's a junior. Isabelle, or Isabella. Jess couldn't remember which."

"Isabella, I heard at work."

This was the interesting dinner conversation to be had in Forks, Washington. The same thing had happened just before the Cullens had moved in next door. I wondered, briefly, how long it would take for the newness to wear off.

 _If she's anything like the Cullens, it never will_. I didn't dare say it out loud. I meant nothing by it, only that the way the Cullens kept to themselves actually kept the speculation about them alive, but I knew it would trigger another one of my dad's lectures.

Jessica didn't call me until Ava was already asleep, tucked into my bed. Actually, our parents were asleep by then, too. Gunner was being quiet, but given his new infatuation with his phone, I doubted he was asleep.

But Ava was for sure, so I talked to Jess in whispers, in the dark, carefully laying Jasper's jacket across the back of my chair.

"Think she'll be nice?" I asked. "Or like her dad?"

Charlie Swan was real nice, but he tended to keep to himself.

"She _better_ be nice!" Jess was still upset she hadn't found out the news before anyone else. It was making her sassy. I ran my hand over Jasper's jacket, remembering what it felt like to sit in that secret place of his.

He had been so close to me. I had thought, for a moment, that he might kiss me.

A rustling noise from outside drew my attention away from both Jess and the jacket. I walked to my window, pulling back the curtains to take a peek. In typical Forks fashion, the night sky was hidden behind a thick layer of cloud cover. Fog hung heavy and low, but despite the fog and the lack of moonlight, I could almost swear there was something moving out there.

"Hey, Jess, I'll call you back. I think there's an animal in our yard."

That happened sometimes. Deer, usually, once a mountain lion. Having a mountain lion in your yard is about as fun as it sounds. It could see one of our old cats inside, through the sliding glass door in the living room. The mountain lion stalked back and forth for hours, determined to get to the cat.

Whatever this was certainly looked taller than a mountain lion. I wasn't entirely sure, but it looked bipedal. Something that could walk on two legs…a bear, maybe? Or, worse, a person?

"Ooooh," Jess breathed, intrigued as always at a possible incident. "I hope it's not whatever killed all those people."

"Ha-ha. I'll talk to you later."

I padded downstairs in my pajamas and bare feet, heading towards the same sliding glass door the mountain lion once camped out at. It was the biggest window in our house, and on the ground level. I figured I would be able to get a better look from that window.

The figure stalking through the fog was closer by the time I got to the window. Now, I could clearly see that it was a person, or at least something person-like. It was far too lithe and lanky to be a bear anyway.

I probably should have gotten my parents, but that's not what I did. Quietly, hoping I hadn't been seen, I backed away from the door. I was suddenly frozen, and my heart was pounding in my chest as the adrenaline settled in.

 _What a day_ , I remembered thinking. _First a bear, and now this_.

When I thought the shadows covered me enough, I turned on my heel and ran for the hall closet, where my dad kept his guns. Most of them were secreted away in a safe, to keep them out of Ava's little hands, but one was hidden on the top shelf of the closet. I knew that. I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach, but my hand brushed against the cold metal and I grabbed onto it.

I hurried back to the door, but I had to take a moment to collect some courage before I moved the curtain. Mom only ever drew it at night, so no one could look in while we slept.

 _Just do it_ , I told myself, and I grabbed the curtain, yanking it to the side before I could second guess myself.

There was nothing.

Then I heard Ava scream from upstairs.

I ran back immediately, taking the stairs two at a time, the gun still in my hands. No one else had yet reacted.

Ava was sitting up in my bed, shaking, covers clutched around herself. She pointed to my window, which was now open, a figure half inside.

A man. Dirty blonde hair. Ratty clothing. When he turned to me—red eyes.

My breath caught in my throat. I seemed to surprise him. He stilled, and we regarded each other for just half a second.

Then I raised my dad's gun and shot him. Or at least, I _thought_ I did. I was a good shot, better than my mom and Gunner. I was confident I had hit my mark—which, in my terror, became the man's head rather than the shoulder, as our father had taught us to aim at another human. But he was still crouched in the window, which confused me for a moment.

He wasn't human, though, this man half in my window. There's no way he could have been. The bullet was there, lodged in his forehead, the skin around it _cracking_.

I chanced one glance back at Ava. She had her face covered with her hands, crying. When I looked back, the man smiled in a sick, twisted way, and lifted his finger to his lips.

 _Shhh._

And then he was gone. Just like that woman six years ago, he just disappeared. My bedroom door slammed open just a second later.

* * *

My parents called the cops, of course.

Since Ava had her face covered, she couldn't back up my story past seeing the man. I told both my parents and Charlie Swan that I shot _at_ the man, but didn't hit him.

"I'm so sorry we didn't listen to you, honey." Mom was hysterical, holding Ava and rocking her, apologizing for dismissing Ava's earlier stories about someone tapping on her window.

"You can't blame yourself, honey." Dad didn't stray far from either of them. He kept his hand on Mom's shoulder the whole time.

Gunner stayed with me, his face paler than I had ever seen it. Officer Swan and his partner, a woman named Officer Hiebert, inspected my bedroom window. The screen had been sliced clean away, the frame absolutely destroyed.

"Wonder what he did it with. One of us is going to have to go up that tree, to try for prints before this fog ruins it."

Officer Hiebert went up the tree. I gave a feeble description to Officer Swan.

"He had blonde hair," I told him. "And he was dirty. His clothes were ratty."

I didn't bother to mention the red eyes. Ava hadn't seen them, thankfully.

Dad pledged to cut down all the trees that grew close to our bedroom windows.

It was nearly one in the morning by the time Officer Swan and Officer Hiebert left. They left us in the hands of another officer, who was actually on duty, to sit sentry for the remainder of the night.

Our adventures had drawn the attention of our only neighbors, naturally. Dr. Cullen and his wife stopped by to check on us.

"We heard the sirens," Mrs. Cullen explained. She was lovely, even though they must have left bed to see if we were okay. Her wavy, caramel colored hair wasn't mussed in the least bit. "Then we saw the police cars. We didn't want to interfere or intrude, but we wanted to make sure things were okay."

Ava had fallen asleep by then, the excitement too much. Still, Mom did not put her down. She held Ava curled to her chest while she talked to Dr. and Mrs. Cullen.

Dad counted the bullets left in the gun, almost like he didn't believe I had really shot at a person. I had done more than that, but that was going to remain my secret.

On my part, I couldn't stop shaking, even after Gunner had wrapped a blanket around me. Ava was the only one who slept that night. The rest of us stayed up, sitting in the living room, jumping at every noise we heard despite our borrowed officer sitting outside.

The silence was thin. Fragile.

None of us bothered to break it until the sun came up.

* * *

 **A/N:** Who keeps playing with vampire physics? _I_ keep playing with vampire physics. Listen, though...the gunshot didn't kill James, at least. It just didn't 'bounce off him' like would be canon for _Twilight_. I thought this was spookier, sooo...that's what made it into the story. I hope you enjoy!


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**-Chapter Fifteen-**

* * *

Under different circumstances, Jasper might have found Maisie's complete irritation with all of her classmates funny. As it was, dark shadows underscored her eyes and alongside that irritation was a deep exhaustion. After effects of her harrowing night.

Her brother didn't look much better. He wore twin marks under his own eyes, and his red hair was too bright against his paled skin. Gunner was his sister's shadow for the day, shuffling Maisie from class to class. She never let go of his arm as they walked.

Jasper was surprised they came to school at all. Likely, they no longer felt safe—nor had any desire—to be in their home.

Here, at least, they might be safe. It was the mutual hope of the Cullen coven that James wouldn't be as brave and rash on his own, for Rosalie and Carlisle had caught and destroyed Victoria.

Emmett hadn't been as successful, but that was hardly his fault. James had shown himself to be an experienced tracker. Jasper didn't bother to try to change the agitated energy that filled Emmett now. They would need it soon enough.

In the middle of his math class, Jasper felt his phone vibrate. Edward. One word: _Again_.

Jasper sighed. They had been doing this since last night, all of the brothers. Edward hadn't gone with Jasper and Emmett to the Thompson house, with the intent of catching James before anything could happen. Not that they were successful. Edward had demanded that both Emmett and Jasper replay the events in their minds, so he could help analyze them.

It was necessary, though, he supposed. Though they had kept it a secret, James had somehow figured out Alice's clairvoyance. The nomad was sticking tight to the territory line, where he could fly under the invisibility of the Quileute. Alice had never been able to see the werewolves, now James was using it to his advantage.

Nonetheless, Jasper let the memories run through his mind again:

 _Stopping with Emmett in the tree line. They had been running, but they slowed, hoping to gain the upper hand on James. The nomad was stalking towards the Thompson house, using the thick fog as a cover._

 _Maisie, peeking from her bedroom window. Her eyebrows knitting together as she scrutinized James' shape moving through the fog. Turning away._

 _"Wait." More breath than anything; Emmett's arm hitting his chest. Jasper didn't even realize that he had made a move. "Wait."_

Wait. _How was he supposed to wait? What was he supposed to wait for?_

 _Maisie, again, this time at the sliding door. Eyes widening as she realizes that it's a person making their way through the yard. There for only a second before she disappeared behind the curtain._

 _Why hadn't they brought Alice? They should have brought Alice._

 _A spike of cockiness from James. Excitement. This is fun for him. It's a game. He scales the side of the house, easily shredding the screen on Maisie's window, crushing the frame in his fist before removing it. Maisie must have had it locked._

 _He wishes it could have protected her more._

 _Ava's scream. Jasper hadn't realized she was awake. He wasn't listening for her, only for Maisie. Footsteps on the stairs._

 _Jasper lurches forward. Emmett tries to grab him, no purchase, only a fistful of his shirt. He keeps going, his shirt tears, Emmett curses. The tree. He makes it to the tree before the gunshot rings out._

 _He can hear James' skin cracking. It makes his stomach drop; it's a sound Jasper knows well from his time in Maria's army._

 _Ava is crying. The rest of the Thompsons are running. Maisie's heart is pounding._

 _He can't be seen. Not by Maisie, not by her family, not by James. Especially not by James. The nomad doesn't need to know how close he and Emmett came to catching him. No, James needs to stay cocky, so he'll make a mistake._

 _Shhh, James tells Maisie. Quiet. That's what Jasper needs to be. He backs away quickly, to avoid being seen, but hesitant to take his eyes off the house._

 _James flits from the window to the tree to the ground, bounding back into the forest. Laughing the whole time._

 _"Dude." Emmett's voice is still more breath than anything. "She shot a vampire in the head! What a little badass! No wonder you like her so much."_

That was all Jasper had for Edward. He wasn't sure what his brother was looking for. There was nothing there that Jasper hadn't already analyzed himself, both in the moment and each time Edward wanted to see it again.

It was getting annoying, but Jasper understood where Edward was coming from. Better safe than sorry, after all. It was only that Jasper didn't particularly _want_ to be reviewing footage with Edward. What he really wanted to do was check on Maisie.

Which he hoped he would be able to achieve in exactly thirty-five minutes when this stupid class period ended. He had no problem skipping his next period to check on Maisie during her study hall.

Thirty-five minutes. Why the hell were class periods so long? Jasper worked on equations without really seeing them. He didn't even care if Edward was still in his head, eavesdropping on his worries over Maisie.

She was clearly left shaken after what happened last night, that was clear to see. As he watched her in the hallway, every noise made her jump. She wasn't even able to focus on the shiny new toy in Forks, Bella Swan. While everyone else had flocked to the girl, Maisie had moved woodenly, following Gunner through the halls.

Thirty-three minutes. It wasn't his lifetime that was going to last an eternity, Jasper was sure, but rather this cursed class period.

* * *

By the time Jasper had found Maisie in the library, she was sitting towards the back at a table, head on her arms, hair spilling from her messy ponytail. She looked like she had dressed in a hurry. Usually, Maisie was one of the few girls that Alice looked at every day, to see what they were wearing. Today she was clad in a sweatshirt far to big for her, likely her brother's, a pair of leggings, and high-top sneakers.

He almost didn't disturb her, for she looked to be sleeping at first glance. But then her hand emerged from her sleeve, with her phone, so she could read a text message. Jasper didn't mean to intrude, but he saw the message just before he averted his gaze.

It was from Maisie's mom. _We're staying at the Dew Drop Inn tonight._

A motel. To avoid their house. On second thought, Jasper was glad he had read the message. At least he would know where Maisie was tonight.

So as not to startle her, Jasper sat carefully in the chair beside her. Maisie didn't notice. Her thumb was flitting across the phone's touch screen, typing a message back to her mother.

"Hey," Jasper made sure to make his voice soft, gentle. Maisie was slow in lifting her head to meet his gaze.

"Hi." Her voice cracked over the small word. Despite what she had just endured, she tried to give him a tiny, fragile smile.

"How badly do you want to be here right now?" He didn't bother to bring up last night. This was Forks. Even if he hadn't been there to witness it, she would expect that he already knew, especially since Esme and Carlisle had stopped by the Thompson house for extra surveillance last night.

Maisie's chin wobbled, her eyes quickly blinking back tears. All she could manage in answer was a shake of her head. Jasper held his hand out to her, and she took it readily. They slipped out the back door of the library.

He had brought his motorcycle again for this very reason. With the attention so solely on Bella Swan, Jasper highly doubted either of them would be missed for an hour.

They didn't speak on the walk to the parking lot, but it was not lost on Jasper how tightly Maisie held his hand. She stood obediently while Jasper slipped Alice's helmet over her head once again. Once on the motorcycle, she settled her head in the space between his shoulders. Her exhaustion was like a heavy cloud, for both of them. It made Jasper long for a sleep he knew would never come.

He didn't take her into the forest again. Not when Alice was the only one who knew his plans to do this. She had checked for him, had said things would be okay, but he didn't think it would make Maisie very comfortable.

Instead, he took her back to the driftwood beach. It had quelled her fears once; he hoped it would again. They weren't two steps onto the beach before Maisie threw her arms around Jasper's middle, burying her face in the cable knit of his sweater.

Now _this_ was the closest Jasper had ever been to a human, without ill-intent, that is. Some old and buried part of him stirred for just a moment, almost igniting a panic within him to have someone's arms circled around him.

All these years, and Jasper was still getting used to hugs.

He recovered quickly, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Even now, with Maisie pressed so tightly against him that he could feel her heartbeat, he had no desire to sink his teeth into her. His only wish was to provide her with comfort in some way.

Still, it took him a moment to recognize the shaking of her shoulders as crying. Jasper almost thought he had hurt her, she was so small in his arms after all, but she was only riding the leftover waves of terror from the night before.

"Hey, you're okay," he tried to soother her. He hardly knew what to do. Alice was always happy; she never needed comforting. As for Rosalie and Esme, well… that was Emmett and Carlisle's jobs, respectively. "I promise, you're okay."

When Maisie inhaled, Jasper could feel her breath rattle along her spine. She gulped air until her breathing regulated and she titled her head to look at him, her cheeks tearstained. Softly, Jasper used the sleeves of his sweater to dry her face.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was raspy from her tears. "Jasper, it was so terrible."

His thumb lingered again on that scar before he wiped away a fresh tear. Indecision clouded Maisie's eyes and her mood, but she didn't step out of the circle of his arms.

"I'm sure it was, but look. Here you are. You got through it, huh?" Another glass smile, and then she sighed.

"Jasper," she said again. He had noticed she used his name more when her mood was excited or agitated in some way. "I know we don't know each other, like, really super well or anything, but… if I tell you something, could you maybe try not to think I'm crazy?"

"Try me." Maisie inclined her head toward the pier, and Jasper obliged, taking her hand to lead the way. He didn't let go when they sat on the soft, worn wood, instead keeping hold of her hand like a bridge between them as they sat facing each other.

"It's kind of ironic." Her eyes dropped, like she were embarrassed. "Just yesterday, you asked me about this scar and then last night… I'm getting ahead of myself."

Another deep sigh. Her eyes met his again, still hesitant, searching for affirmation or validation.

"What was ironic?" He hated this playing dumb. Jasper wished he could just tell her that he already knew, rather than deceive her his way.

But his family had never revealed themselves to a human—without that human life ending soon after. Jasper had his slip-ups in the past, of course, but so had Emmett. Edward had his 'rebellious' phase. Even and Esme and Alice, in their early days. Rosalie and Carlisle were the only ones who had never tasted human blood.

She was nervous and scared, but she pushed forward with her explanation. "I didn't get the scar on my cheek from a cat. I've never told anyone before, but it was a… person? Or something like a person, anyway, who gave me the scar. I was home alone, in Tatum, when I was ten. It was right before we moved."

Jasper sat up straighter, if only slightly. This was it. She was going to tell him about Maria. He was going to have the whole story, not just the snippets Edward had gleaned from her memories.

"Someone knocked on the door. When I opened it, there was a woman there. It was cold out, but she was wearing a tank top and sandals, and I remember thinking that was weird. She spoke to me in Spanish—I was even worse at it back then, if you can believe that."

A self-deprecating joke in the middle of this confession that was obviously taking a lot out of her. What a very _Maisie_ thing to do. Jasper nearly smiled, but gently squeezed her hand instead, hoping it would give her some encouragement.

"I understood her enough, though. She was asking for water, saying that her car had overheated. I gave her a bottle from our fridge, and she waved her hand, like she wanted me to follow her, but I told her no. _'Preciosa, won't you come with me?'"_

Jasper's stomach flipped, he was certain. _Preciosa_. So, Maria was still using that pet name.

One of his last human memories involved Maria calling him the same thing, when he stopped to offer aid to her and her companions, not realizing the three pretty women were all vampires.

"When I refused, she told me I was too young, anyway. That I would only get her in trouble. I didn't know what she meant by that, but I didn't ask, either."

The Volturi, vampire overlords, was what Maria meant, not that Maisie knew that. The Volturi had strict laws concerning changing children into vampires— _don't._ Unless you wanted to die. Child vampires, called 'immortal children' were uncontrollable. At ten, Maisie very likely would have fallen into that category.

Maisie lifted her own hand this time, lightly touching the scar on her cheek. "She made this with her fingernail. And it _burned,_ worse than anything I've ever felt. Worse than this."

She pointed to the scar on her right hand. "Then she kissed my cheek, where she had cut it, and licked the blood from her lips. When she did that, her eyes changed. They had been dark before—black—but when she licked her lips, they instantly turned to red."

When she lifted her eyes again, they nearly held a challenge in them. She was checking to see his reaction, but Jasper made sure it stayed neutral. Of course, he believed her, but likely for different reasons than she would guess.

"The man last night had red eyes, too."

"Did you tell the police that?" He was asking not because he thought she should, but because he was desperately hoping they wouldn't. Maisie shook her head, the sea breeze catching her ponytail and continuing the motion.

"Good."

"You think I'm crazy." Again, her voice broke, this time over the last word. Jasper shook his head, feeling his own hair become disrupted. He took a deep breath of the salty sea air, hoping it would be like a palette cleanser. Then he let his breath out in a sigh of his own, feeling deflated afterward.

"No." He told her. He shouldn't be doing this. He shouldn't be saying these words. Rosalie was going to be so mad at him. _Furious._ Edward, too, probably.

"I believe you." Maisie's relief washed over him.

"I believe you," he said again, swallowing and then forcing the words from his throat. "Because I know exactly who you're talking about, the woman and the man. I…I know them, and I can tell you why their eyes were red."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi, I'm about to be slammed with summer class works as it's finals week next week for two of my classes, so I decided to be a brat and leave you with this cliffhanger to mull over until I return! :)

Thank you for supporting this story! I apologize in advance for this break, but I will see you soon!

 **Edit:** I did have a small blonde moment-I blame grad school-and had written that Carlisle had had human blood before. Not true! I have fixed it. Thank you to _**Astrid Claire**_ for bringing it to my attention! :) Rosalie has also never tasted human blood-I checked that. She prides herself on that fact, so this remained.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**-Chapter Sixteen-**

* * *

We got two rooms at the motel. Dad and Gunner in one, Mom, Ava, and me in the other. Boys and girls. A family divided, thanks to a vampire.

Vampire. That's what Jasper told me. I turned the word over in my head, letting myself sink lower into the warm water that filled this motel bathtub.

 _"I'm not supposed to tell," he had said. "If you wouldn't mind, I would appreciate if you kept it to yourself."_

Sworn to secrecy two times in as many days. Though I thought that Jasper's confession was just a tad bit weightier than his secret forest spot.

Maybe I should have been losing my mind. Freaking out. Jasper had thought I would, when he hesitantly told me the truth, whispering despite our solitude, picking a careful path across his words:

 _"How do you know?" I had asked, but some things were falling into place in my head already. The whole Cullen family had missed every sunny day in Forks a few weeks ago. Jasper and Carlisle had the same color eyes, a warm golden color…I hadn't ever been close enough to the other Cullens to see their eye color, but I would bet it was the same. Now that I was thinking about it, I had never seen any of them eat at school._

 _I was still holding Jasper's hand. I had grown used to the ever-present chill his skin carried. His thumb was rubbing smooth, absent-minded circles against my palm. Despite my growing suspicions, I didn't pull away from him._

 _He didn't call himself a vampire, but he did look out across the ocean. His face fell as he watched the waves crash against themselves._

 _"My eyes were once red, too." This confession was shameful. Still, I did not pull my hand from his._

To be honest, I felt sorry for Jasper as he wove the story for me. 1863, he told me. The year he was 'turned', as he had phrased it. By the same woman who had given me my scar.

 _"I joined the Confederate army two years earlier, when I was seventeen. I lied about my age. It was easy then—no driver's licenses or ID cards. Hell, I don't even think I had a birth certificate." He smirked at this memory. I couldn't help but smile a little too. I could see it, in my head, a slightly younger Jasper, brashly weaving a lie for his right to take up arms. I don't know how they could have told him no, especially if he flashed that bright smile of his at them._

 _"So, you're really nineteen?" I interrupted him. This, of all things, was a question that gave him pause. Jasper's brows drew together in confusion. I don't know why that was what stuck out to me from the story he was telling._

 _"Yes? Or one-hundred sixty-eight, but nineteen does sound better, doesn't it?"_

 _"Yeah," I agreed. "Nineteen does sound better when you compare it to a number like that!"_

 _He shook his head at me. "Why are you so calm? Are you in shock?"_

 _"I don't think I would know if I were in shock, isn't that the whole point of it? I told you I believe in mermaids and ghosts. Why not vampires?" The ease with which I said the word obviously bothered him, as shown by Jasper's wince. "I mean, no offence, but it makes sense, if you pay attention to your family. How is your dad a doctor, though? Doesn't the blood get to him?"_

 _"Carlisle is different," he told me. Jasper was speaking so quietly that I had to lean forward to hear him over the waves. I wasn't sure who he thought might be around to overhear all these hidden things he was telling me. Even now, he smiled with pride, as he always did when he spoke of Dr. Cullen. "He's the reason we're all different, why our eyes aren't red. Carlisle has never tasted human blood. He has always drunk animal blood, and he's taught all of us to do the same, so that we can live civilly."_

 _"Not all vampires live like y'all do?" I asked. "Together, I mean? In families?"_

 _It made more sense to me, at least. Strength in numbers and all that. Jasper shook his head._

 _"No. The one you shot—good job, by the way, that takes courage, Emmett called you a badass and I was proud of you—but the one you shot was a nomad. There is a coven in Italy, the very oldest of our kind, but I wouldn't call them a family. It's more of a business that they run. And in the South, where both of us met Maria, there are armies and wars. I was a part of one of those armies, and a great number of those wars."_

 _"Y'all were there?" I asked._

 _"Yes, we were going to intervene, but, well…you handled it, didn't you? We tried to catch him afterward, but he's good at what he does. Besides, neither me or Emmett are as quick as Edward."_

This probably wasn't an appropriate reaction, but it had made me happy to hear that Jasper was proud of me, that he thought I had done the right thing in the moment. I had been turning the events of last night over and over in my head, wondering if I could have done more. Which, from what Jasper was telling me, it didn't sound like I could.

Jasper's stories came in chunks, nothing chronological. It was hard to put any of them in order, but I understood why it was coming out in such a messy way. We were pressed for time, and Jasper made sure to reiterate several times that discreteness was one of the most important rules of his family. Which is why his telling me was such a huge deal.

He promised to explain more later, if I wanted, but he insisted I know some basic things.

 _"I need you to understand, Maisie," his voice had turned fervent, pleading, at this point. "You can't kill him. He will always be faster and stronger."_

 _Jasper had already explained the heightened senses and strength of vampires._

 _"Please," he said, making sure to exactly meet my eyes, leveling my gaze with his. Even his eyes were pleading. "Please don't do anything rash."_

 _He meant like shooting vampires in the head. According to Jasper, I likely only survived the night before because I had surprised—maybe even impressed—this vampire that was deadest on having a go at me._

Rising from my bath water, I wrapped a towel around myself. I had made the water so hot that the mirror fogged with the steam. I cleared some away, evaluating my face. More accurately, the scar on my cheek. Now that I really looked at it, Jasper was right. The skin there was smooth and pale, paler than a healed scar usually would be. I had never noticed before, but when I ran a finger over it, this skin was cooler than the rest of my cheek.

This was a vampire's skin, out of place on my own human skin. It was the result of something Jasper called marking, done by the same vampire—named Maria—that had turned him.

 _"I only learned about it recently. It wasn't something she used while I was around. Strategy, is all it is. Number insurance, future planning. Marking local humans, to quickly have a stock to turn when their own numbers fall too low."_

I was branded, like cattle. Nothing special, but it had been enough to inspire this James, this vampire that was stalking me. This brand of mine had planted the seed in his head that he should start his own army, and he was hellbent to have me be his first member.

 _There were a lot of gaps in the things Jasper was revealing to me in hushed tones, but I understood the need for the basics for now. I made mental notes of things that I would ask him later._

 _"Only another vampire's venom can truly harm a vampire," Jasper explained. He rolled the sleeve of his sweater up along his left arm before pulling his phone from his pocket. With the phone's flashlight activated, he beckoned me closer to him. "It's harder to see the scars left by the venom on our own skin."_

 _Indeed, the skin of Jasper's forearm was littered with crescent moon shaped scars. I could only see them when he moved the flashlight across them, throwing one side of the raised skin into shadows. They blended in entirely otherwise._

 _Without thinking, I ran my fingertips over the scars. They were subtle, but I could just barely feel their existence marked across his arm. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I realized, this is what it meant for him to be in Maria's army. Thinking of my own scar, I couldn't imagine how much burning pain he had endured._

 _"Does it still burn, the venom? Even now?" I peeked up at him, my hand still resting on his arm. Jasper nodded, his eyes clouded over with the painful memories. "I'm sorry."_

I didn't know what else to say, at the time, but it was the truth. I was genuinely sorry. No one should have to go through the torture I'm sure all that burning caused.

I dressed for bed, robotically going through the motions, as my mind was still going through the events of the day. Mom and Ava were both already asleep by the time I left the bathroom. To get to my bed, I had to walk by my backpack on the hotel room desk. My hand twitched toward it, but I resisted the urge to pull the note Alice had slipped me when Jasper and I returned to school. I had tucked into one of the inside pockets, so it wouldn't fall out.

Jasper and I had already read it—and argued over it—several times during our Spanish class. Señora Marquez was still out sick; everyone was talking despite the movie the sub obediently put on for us.

 _We got back to school minutes before the bell. Alice was waiting for us in front of Jasper's parking spot._

 _"Are they terribly mad at me?" Jasper asked her without preamble, holding a hand out to help me off the motorcycle even as he faced his sister. Before giving an answer, Alice bounded forward, kissing me on both cheeks before hugging me._

 _"If anyone is going to know our secret, I would want it to be you. We're going to be great friends, Maisie." So, Alice's optimism was just as bright as her smile, it seemed. Only once she let me go did she address Jasper._

 _"You know how Rosalie and Edward are, they get sour about everything." Alice said lightly, waving her hand as if she were shooing something away. "Eddy will get over it, but Rose will take a bit more time. Carlisle and Esme are going to tell you that you made the right choice, I already checked for you."_

 _My confusion at this wording must have shown on my face. Alice raised her eyebrows at Jasper. "Did you forget to tell her?"_

 _Jasper chuckled under Alice's reprimanding look. "I did. Ali can see the future."_

 _His tone was so casual that I think that caught me off guard more than his words._

 _"Oh!" I said a little too loud, immediately feeling dumb. "That's fun. You, um, didn't tell me y'all could do that."_

 _"Oh, not all of us can, silly!" Alice giggled. "Eddy and Jazz wish they had an ability as cool as mine. Most of us don't have one at all!"_

 _It was my turn to raise an eyebrow at Jasper, but he only muttered, "I'll explain later."_

 _Just before the bell sounded, Alice slipped the note to me. "I would give it to Jasper, but I know he wouldn't show it to you because he's not going to like it. You better hurry before your brother wonders where you are."_

 _She was right about that. I had forgotten Gunner, and he definitely would be asking questions if I didn't meet him after class._

I ended up lying to Gunner, which I still didn't feel right about, but I didn't have much choice. If he knew I was skipping with Jasper again, more questions would need to be answered with more lies. I told Gunner I had gone to my car to take a nap during study hall and offered him my keys, so he could do the same after lunch. He stashed them in his hoodie pocket.

During lunch, I met Bella Swan, our Forks newcomer. She was quiet and nice enough, obviously shy and a little awkward with all the attention directed at her. Bella didn't have to worry about my attention. It was focused on the past few days, all that I had learned, and Alice's note hidden in my backpack.

Somehow, I resisted the temptation to read it until I was in class with Jasper.

 _"Let me see," he whispered to me in class. The dark classroom was a great cover for us, and the illumination from the TV screen gave me just enough light to see the words Alice had written. Jasper held his hand out for the note, but I shook my head._

 _"I wasn't aware your name was Maisie." I pointed to my name printed in Alice's curly hand. I wondered if all the Cullens wrote in a way that looked like a perfect computer font. Just to annoy him, I took my time unfolding the paper._

 _It was a plan that Alice had written for us. A plan to lure this James fellow to me, so that the Cullens could 'take care of him'._

When did my life become a 1940's gangster film? _I wondered. Jasper read faster than I did. I was only halfway through Alice's note when he was already protesting._

 _"No," he murmured, but his distaste for the idea underscored his words. "Absolutely not."_

 _I finished reading before arguing with him. I liked Alice's idea._

 _"Why not?" We sat with our heads bent close together, whispering back and forth to one another. I'm sure we drew the attention of our classmates, but all of my focus was on Jasper._

 _"It's dangerous, for one thing. That scar doesn't make you invincible."_

 _"Rumor on the street is that you're not invincible, either. It would be dangerous for you, too."_

 _"You're much more breakable than I am." He lifted my hand, exposing the fresh scar from my driftwood fiasco as evidence for his point._

 _"But you would be there," I countered. I was running off the assumption that Jasper wouldn't let anything happen to me. This seemed to surprise him enough that he veered off topic._

 _"How can you trust me after what I've told you?" He was referring to all the lives he had ended before joining the Cullen family. To his credit, though, he had said himself that he didn't know there was another way before he met Alice._

 _"You could have killed me yesterday, and you didn't. You even had the perfect excuse, what with the bear and all." His brow scrunched up before realization lit his face._

 _"Oh, I must have forgot to tell you. That wasn't a bear; that was Emmett."_

 _"That was Emmett?" I had to work to keep my voice quiet. "That roar was your brother? Honest to God?"_

 _"Yeah." My surprise was funny to him; he was smirking. "Honest to God."_

 _I shook my head. "What was he doing out there? Is that why he and Rosalie weren't in school yesterday?"_

 _"Em and Rose were trying to catch James and his partner. Alice had a vision of them taking you from school, which is why I talked you into skipping with me yesterday. Rosalie got the partner, but Emmett wasn't so lucky."_

 _"Like a bait and catch?" My voice had an edge to it now. I didn't like that I had been an unknowing, unwilling participant in a scheme._

 _"Kind of." The smirk was gone now. I let him take my hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't like it. I don't like deceiving you. That's why I told you. This affects you as much as it does the rest of us. You have a right to know."_

 _"Then don't you think I also have a right to have an active role in my own life?" I nodded toward Alice's note._

 _"Maisie, you're killing me." Jasper grumbled, punctuating his words with a sigh._

 _"Jasper, you just spent an hour telling me how difficult that would be. Let me help."_

I almost smiled as I slid into bed, thinking about how Jasper and I had argued in circles. Finally, he agreed to a democratic vote of sorts: he would show his family Alice's plans and see what they thought. I warned him not to skew the story in his favor, because I would fact-check him by asking Alice.

As weird as it was, I felt more comfortable after Jasper's telling. I felt like I had some footing in this situation, no matter how small. And by tomorrow, I would know if I would get to play a part in this vampire's down fall, which I very much hoped I would.

My exhaustion made my body heavy, but I made myself roll towards the window. I watched the window, waiting for the flicker of James' shadow that never came. Or at least, it never did while I was awake. I must have fallen asleep at some point because Ava's jumping on my bed woke me in the morning.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi! I missed you guys! I thought I would distract myself from being stressed out while I wait for my final grades by updating. :)


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**-Chapter Seventeen-**

* * *

Unfortunately for Jasper, most of his family was in full support of Alice's plan. Especially Edward, which surprised me, because he wasn't even at school the next day. Instead of the usual silver Volvo, there was a bright cherry red Convertible in its place.

"Daaaaamn," Gunner said appreciatively while we were still in my car. "Of course, Rosalie Hale would drive that car."

"You can fanboy over it later," I scolded him with an eye roll. "Get to the gym before you have another tardy to your name."

Despite the fact that our house had recently got broken into, our parents still grounded Gunner for the weekend over his Saturday detention. That was Gunner's own fault, though. I was still going to cover for him, but with all the emotions swirling around the other night, Gunner fessed up to it. He couldn't blame me for that. I had already threatened him not to tell about my skipping, though, because he ruined the deal for himself.

To top it off, Mom and Dad insisted that we go to school earlier, so Gunner had no excuse but to correct his tardiness. Which meant I was at school earlier for no reason, which I wasn't particularly thrilled about.

I watched Gunner trudging toward the gym, taking a drink from the apple juice I had gotten from the motel at breakfast.

"Good morning!" A bright voice said beside me. I choked on my apple juice in surprise before turning to see Alice had taken the seat Gunner had just vacated.

I hadn't even heard her.

"Hi, Alice," I said once I had managed to swallow the apple juice. She smiled wide at me and threw herself forward to hug me. I did hear my own door open behind me. When Alice released me from the hug, I saw that it was Jasper.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, holding his hand out to help me from the car. It had not yet snowed in Forks, but the roads were starting to get icy thanks to all the freezing fog. I was glad I took Jasper's hand, because I hadn't even noticed the huge patch of black ice I had parked beside. I would have fallen had he not been there to steady me.

"Thanks," I told him. He acknowledged it with a nod before turning to his sister.

"Alice, don't scare her." His admonishment only earned him a dismissive shrug from Alice. Jasper kept his hand lightly on the small of my back.

He had told me vampires were fast. I just hadn't seen that speed in action until Alice just made herself appear in my car. She did it again, as she was suddenly next to me, so that I was bookended by the two of them, making me jump.

 _"Ali,"_ Jasper sounded exasperated. His hand on my back kept me steady.

"She's going to get used to it. Why don't you go sulk with Rose?" Alice reached out for my hand. "I have exciting news for our Maisie here."

He rolled his eyes but did not go to 'sulk with Rose' as Alice had suggested. Instead, he asked me a simple question that he seemed none too thrilled about: "Maisie, can you shoot a shotgun?"

"Uh, yeah." I wasn't sure where he was going with this. Alice's plan hadn't involved anything like that—really, it only involved me in the form of bait for James.

"Then you can help. On Saturday." The tight clench of Jasper's jaw showed just how much he did not like this idea. Alice, on the other hand, gave a smile so bright that I was surprised it didn't chase the heavy clouds away.

"That part is Edward's idea, because he won't be here." Alice explained, as if I should know why Edward wasn't at school. "He can read minds, by the way. Very useful. He decided that we needed a little more surprise and pizazz in the plan, to catch James off-guard, as we'll be lacking Edward's intel. You see, he's gone to Alaska. The new girl's blood bothers him. He's not sure he can handle the temptation."

I felt my eyebrows shoot up. "Oh."

"Alice!" Jasper scolded again, this time sighing and rubbing his eyes, like he had a headache. "That's enough. Please, just let her ease into it a little bit."

I guessed he was still worried over the information dump he had given me only the day before.

Alice winked at me. I noticed her eyes were darker than Jasper's. What had he told me that meant? Oh, yes: she hadn't 'fed' in a few days. The spectrum ran either red or gold to black, depending on diet and how long since the last feeding. I had never seen Jasper's eyes any shade other than bright, warm gold, nearly the same shade as his hair.

"Oh, hush. She really will be fine." Alice pranced away from us, to rejoin Rosalie and Emmett where they were waiting not far off. I tipped my head back a bit to look at Jasper, raising an eyebrow.

"So," I said, trying to sound casual. "Edward's in Alaska because Bella Swan's blood bothers him?"

"Some humans have more…tempting blood than others, yes."

"Does this usually happen to Edward?" Yesterday, Jasper had mentioned that he struggled the most with the animal blood diet, because he had spent so long drinking human blood before he knew there was an alternative. I smelled different than most humans, he said, because of Maria's mark. My blood was 'leaps and bounds' easier to tolerate.

"Not typically, no."

"Are you gloating about that? Because you should be." The irony here was obvious. Jasper, who usually struggled the most, had found in me a human whose blood held no temptation. In contrast, reserved and smug Edward—Jasper's words from yesterday, not my own—was so bothered by the way Bella Swan smelled that he had left the contiguous United States.

Jasper smiled sheepishly. Though he was several yards away, with Rosalie and Alice, Emmett's booming laugh filled the air.

"Emmett thinks you're funny. He would say hi to you, but he's intensely loyal to Rose, and she's in one of her moods right now. You'll have to excuse her until it passes."

I leaned around Jasper and waved at Emmett. He waved back, but I also got a surly glare from Rosalie. I smiled at her anyway.

"I'll tell you more about Saturday in class," Jasper promised. He opened the back seat and pulled my backpack out for me. "I'm sure your friends will be looking for you soon."

It was, now, an acceptable time to be arriving at school rather than thirty minutes early. Jasper departed to join his family, and almost immediately after, other cars started to pull into the parking lot.

There was Mike and Jessica, in Mike's van, looking as if they were arguing. I leaned against my car, taking drinks of my apple juice and watching people roll in. Tyler in his own SUV; Lauren in her sleek little town car. An ancient red truck rumbled into the lot. I had never seen that one before.

"That's Bella's truck," Jess explained when she made her way to my car. Mike was with Tyler, performing their 'bro handshake'. "Loud, huh?"

"Just a little. I wouldn't wanna get in a wreck with her, though. That truck would crumple any of our cars."

"Especially that one. Whose is it?" Jessica nodded her head to Rosalie's Convertible, envy coloring her voice plainly. I knew why she was asking me. She assumed I would know, because of my friendship with Jasper.

"Um, Rosalie's," I mumbled. The Cullens were inside by that point, off the schoolyard where most of us mingled before school.

"Oh my God!" Jessica suddenly yelled. "I've been such a terrible best friend. Tell me about what happened at your house."

I felt the heat rising in my cheeks. I shook my head, letting my hair fall forward to hopefully cover my blush.

"Oh, nothing, really. Someone tried to break in. Mom made it a bigger deal than it was, but we're getting a security system installed today, so hopefully we can go home tonight instead of a motel."

Jess looped her arm through mine. "People were saying you _shot_ the guy, Maisie. That sounds like a big deal!"

"I didn't shoot him," I insisted. "I only shot _at_ him. Ava was in my room. What else was I supposed to do?"

"I mean, I don't blame you! But everyone was making it out like you were a regular Annie Oakley!"

"Obviously my aim isn't that good." I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous the gossip mill in Forks could be. Also, how close they had truly gotten to what happened that night.

"I also didn't ask you about skipping with Jasper. Bella's kind of taken your thunder this week, huh?" The way Bella's name sounded coming from Jessica's voice gave me a pretty good idea about how Jess felt about the new girl.

"It was fine," I told her, meaning the skipping. "He took me for a motorcycle ride."

"Motorcycles, shooting robbers. What are we going to do with you, Maisie Thompson? You're becoming corrupted so quickly."

I walked arm and arm with Jessica through the halls. Despite the fact that she came to school with Mike, Jess was putting on a fantastic performance ignoring him. I forced myself to focus on conversations with my friends, and with our newest Forks member, though I felt nearly electrified with the anticipation of Jasper explaining Alice's new plan.

"How are you liking Forks so far?" I asked Bella while we all waited for the first bell. Bella made a sour face.

"It's wet here a lot, isn't it?" This made Mike laugh, perhaps a little too loud. So _that's_ why Jess was mad at him.

"It takes some time getting use to." I agreed with her before throwing Mike a look.

"Oh. You're not from here, either?" Bella's eyes grew wide with surprise.

"Yeah, me, you, and the Cullen family. We could all have a club with these numbers. I'm from New Mexico."

I don't think Bella heard anything I said past 'Cullen family'. Her face had drained at the words. That was a little mean of me. I wanted to see her reaction to them, since Alice had revealed that Edward was tempted by her scent.

"They're a little standoffish, aren't they?" Bella was looking for validation. So, something had happened. "The Cullens, I mean?"

I paused, and Jessica took the opportunity to fill the space. "Most of the time. Maisie is _friends_ with Jasper, though. The blonde one."

That emphasis one the word 'friends' was unnecessary. I jabbed Jessica with my elbow to let her know, but she only smiled at me. Bella's face fell when Jessica proclaimed Jasper and I _friends_.

"Oh." Her brows were knit together in confusion. Poor girl. She had no idea what was going on. That was for the best, though. I wasn't even sure, yet, how I felt about the Cullens being vampires. I didn't think they were bad, not by a long shot, but there was a lot going on currently, so I hadn't really had time to process my feelings and opinions about it. Maybe, if Saturday went successfully, I would have time soon.

"Why did you think that?" I asked before I could stop myself. I was genuinely curious.

Bella's face turned a scarlet shade of red. "Oh, no reason. I guess Edward was just in a bad mood yesterday. He acted like he hated my guts."

Wherever Jasper and his siblings were, I wondered if they could hear this conversation. Bella stayed rather sullen throughout the day, without anyone's confirmation that the Cullens could be, as she said, 'standoffish'. Though, at lunch she did seem relieved that Edward was not at the table the Cullen family usually sat at.

With my thoughts so preoccupied yesterday, I had apparently missed a shift in the dynamics of our friend group with the addition of Bella.

Lauren was almost completely dismissive of Bella, which didn't surprise me. Bella was neither the type to fall over herself to compliment Lauren (like Jess) nor the type to snap back at Lauren's attitude (more where Angela and I fell). Meek and mild were good words to describe Bella so far.

Tyler, smartly, still only had eyes for Lauren. This made Mike's infatuation with Bella only stand out more. In turn, this made Jessica jealous and irritated, neither of which she was very good at hiding. The tension must have been obvious even across the cafeteria, because I got a text from Gunner.

 _Start a girl fight so you can have detention with me._ I sought him out across the cafeteria. Gunner gave me a smile and two thumbs up when we made eye contact.

 _Worry about yourself,_ I texted back to him. _That's what I'm doing, so I can have a front row seat if one does start._

I spent most of lunch nibbling at my Cesar salad and watching Jessica vie for Mike's attention. It was a good distraction, for a time.

"Hey, Maisie," Mike said, speaking around both Bella and Jess. "Think you would survive another trip to La Push this weekend? If we're going to go, it will have to be soon. The weather's starting to turn."

Reflexively, my eyes flickered to Jasper. Luckily, Bella asked a question, and I don't think anyone caught me.

"Why wouldn't she survive?" Before Mike or I could answer, Jessica grabbed my hand and pulled it, making me almost drop my food.

"Hey," I protested, but Jessica ignored me, flipping my hand palm up to reveal the scar Mike had helped me earn.

"Michael here can be a real spaz and an _idiot_." The tone of Jessica's words surprised me. I had never heard her talk so harshly and negatively about Mike.

"It was nothing," I pulled my hand away. Bella continued to stare, so I hid my hand inside my sleeve. "It was just an accident, and it was as much my fault as it was Mike's."

I gave Jessica a reproachful look. "Besides, I can't go this weekend. I have to work on my Spanish midterm project."

It was the lie that I was supposed to use, _if_ the Cullens had agreed to Alice's plans, as Jasper had phrased it yesterday. _If._ I smirked to myself, because I knew how much it irritated him that I was going to have a role in catching James this weekend.

That was when Alice saw him returning. According to Jasper, James wasn't quite as bold as they expected, likely because Rosalie and Carlisle had already 'taken out' James' partner.

Jessica didn't expand on my statement with a comment about Jasper, much to my surprise. Probably because she was too upset over the fact that I wouldn't be there, and Bella would.

"I might not go, either, then." Jessica said instead. Her jealousy was showing so well, it was a wonder she didn't turn green.

* * *

Señora Marquez was back. This meant we had to stick to our scripted conversations again—no more whispered plotting and arguing as we had done the day before. Instead, I opened my notebook, as if I were taking notes like I typically did.

 _Saturday?_ I wrote, sliding the notebook across our shared desk to Jasper.

He sighed and shook his head before holding his hand out for my pen. _Yes?_

I rolled my eyes at him. He really was being difficult. _What am I supposed to do?_

 _Stay home, I would prefer._

 _"Jasper,"_ I tried to mimic the tone he had used with Alice earlier. He raised his eyebrows innocently and shrugged. I pushed the notebook back towards him without writing anything on it.

 _It's hard to explain how Alice and Edward work together, but we'll be weak without him. We rely on their combined abilities. Edward thought it would be a good idea to find a way to catch James off guard. Emmett brought up how James allowed you to shoot him—and yes, that's what happened. Alice's behavior this morning should have shown you how easy it would have been for him to dodge your bullet. James likes games, it seems. So, we're going to let you play—within reason._

I underlined the part about _'James allowed you to shoot him'_ and wrote _'rude'_ beside it. Jasper chuckled softly and leaned closer, so he could whisper to me.

"I already told you I was proud of you," he reminded me. The wash of his breath across my ear made me shiver a little, and not in a bad way. I wasn't sure why his approval made me so happy.

 _Saturday, for sure?_ I wrote on our paper, so that I could avoid acknowledging the heat rising in my cheeks.

Jasper's hesitation showed again. After a beat, he quickly scribbled his agreement.

 _Saturday, for sure._

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi, friends! I hope you're still liking the story. I honestly have so much fun writing it and reading your comments. Thank you to everyone who has been leaving reviews and supporting this story! 3


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**-Chapter Eighteen-**

* * *

Before Saturday came Thursday and Friday, though. We were back in our house, the new security system creating a sense of ease for my parents. Their calm made Ava calm, which I think we were all thankful for.

Mom and Dad went all out for this security system. It kept track of every time any outside door or window was opened. Opening a door that led outside, or a window, now required a code. No code entered meant _literally_ the loudest alarm in the world; and if the alarm was left going for more than ten seconds, the security company was notified, as was local law enforcement.

"We're going to have to step our sneaking out game up now," Gunner whispered to me. We were sitting in the living room, listening to Mom explain the new system. I hit him when Mom turned and took Ava by the hand, taking her right to the door to point out the keypad.

"You don't know how to whisper," I reminded Gunner. His form of whispering was just slightly softer speaking.

"See this, Ava?" Mom asked across the room. "This is what the keypads look like. See all the numbers?"

After Ava nodded her agreement that, yes, she saw the numbers, Mom told her, "Now, you don't touch this, Ava. Only Mommy and Daddy and Maisie and Gunner, okay?"

We were also going to end up with a dog. Dad had gone to Port Angeles, because Forks didn't have an animal shelter, to get one. I had a sneaking suspicion we would probably end up with two dogs, because even though Dad had tried to explain to Ava that we needed a big dog to help us be safe, Ava had begged for a puppy.

Twenty minutes later, and I was proven right. Dad came through the door with a puppy tucked under his arm and leading a much larger dog with a leash.

"Chris," Mom all but hissed. Dad was completely incapable of telling Ava 'no'. He let the big dog off her leash, and she came happily into the house. It was as if this had always been her home.

She came right to me and Gunner on the couch when I waggled my fingers at her.

"Hi," I told her, reaching for her collar while Gunner scratched her ears. "What's your name?"

The etching on her silver tag said 'Honeybun'. It fit her; she was golden and sweet, her big brown eyes lit up with excitement. I doubted she would be much of a deterrent to any kind of intruder, human or otherwise.

"She deserves it, Hannah." Dad argued with Mom, setting the puppy in front of Ava. While Honeybun—who had flopped down on the floor on top of both mine and Gunner's feet—had immediately made our house her home, the puppy was a little warier.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Ava laid herself on the floor stretched out on her belly, to look at the puppy.

"A girl. You can name this one, Ava, but the big one is called Honeybun already."

The puppy took to Ava instantly, giving her a tentative lick on the nose that sent Ava into a fit of giggles. This seemed to make the puppy happy, as she started to wag her tail. She was tiny, probably barely old enough to leave her mother, and she had floppy ears and a speckled face and too-large paws that foreshadowed how big she would grow. One of the puppy's eyes was the palest blue, the other hazel brown.

"She's a Catahoula," Dad was telling Mom, justifying his returning with two dogs. "They're very loyal and protective."

"Think Ava can top Honeybun?" Gunner asked. He meant with the naming of the puppy. Once, we had a rescued squirrel we nursed back to health that Ava had called Sponge, of all things.

"I _like_ Honeybun," I told him. And I really did. I thought it was a cute name for the dog.

"I think," Ava said from the floor, all seriousness. "I will call you…"

I'm pretty sure we were all holding our breath while Ava racked her brain for a name.

"Pepper!" To Ava's credit, this name actually made sense, given the puppy's black and gray dappled fur. Our collective sigh of relief was audible. I don't think any of us wanted to go around addressing the puppy by some ridiculous name.

Ava insisted that I fill a cardboard box with old blankets, to make a bed for Pepper in her room. I also had to make Ava her own bed on the floor, because she insisted on sleeping right next to the puppy.

Honeybun sampled all of our rooms, but ultimately decided upon mine. I think it was because of the soft, fuzzy rug I had in my bedroom, right beside my bed.

"This is a good choice," I told her, scratching Honeybun on the head when I passed her to turn off my bedroom light. I drew my curtains closed before settling into bed. Alice had told me that James wouldn't return until Saturday, but I still felt uneasy about having the window open in any way. "Gunner's room always smells like sweaty socks."

So, now, thanks to a vampire, we had a pretty serious security system and two dogs. Neither of which would even help against a vampire, according to Jasper.

* * *

On Friday morning, after I had forced Gunner to the gym, Jasper tapped on my passenger side window. I had been reading, waiting for other people to show up. The gentle rapping of his knuckle on the window made me jump, but when I saw it was him, I smiled and leaned over to open the door for him.

Rosalie's Convertible wasn't in the parking lot; Jasper had come alone, on his motorcycle. Edward still hadn't returned to school. I had asked Jasper about it the day before, and he had rolled his eyes, proclaiming that Edward was 'prone to dramatics'.

"You're much more polite than your sister," I teased Jasper as he slid into the seat. He cracked the window to let in some fresh air. I realized the enclosed space of my car, with the heater running, probably made it more difficult for him. Jasper had explained the itchy burning in his throat when he was around humans.

Jasper was being mindful and careful, I realized. Even if my blood didn't typically tempt him, he didn't want to take chances.

I rolled down my window some, too, and turned the heater down, to make it easier for him.

"Alice is…exuberant. She likes you. Considering our way of life, she doesn't have a lot of opportunities for new friends. You'll have to excuse her."

"Oh, there's nothing to excuse. I like her, too." Jasper smiled at this, one of his true, bright smiles. I had gathered, from their interactions and the way he talked about her, that Jasper and Alice were very close.

Despite his bright smile a moment before, Jasper's face soon fell and became clouded with concern. He leaned his elbow on the console between us, bringing himself closer to me.

"Are your sure you want to go through with tomorrow?" His fair eyebrows raised, obviously hoping I had change my mind. That I had gotten cold feet; that I would let him handle it.

Unfortunately for the hopeful look on his face, I hadn't wavered at all in my desire to help.

"Of course I am." It wasn't the light way we usually spoke to each other. Even when Jasper was laying all of his secretes bare before me, there was still laughter that day. The topic was heavy, but it didn't feel as heavy as this conversation now.

But, to be fair, that conversation wasn't about a potentially life or death situation, either. Life or death for me, that is. Jasper had quickly developed a habit of reminding me how 'breakable' I was.

Jasper's eyes fixated on Maria's scar on my cheek as his mouth set into a scowl. He was still conflicted over this whole thing.

"I won't let anything happen to you," Jasper promised, raising his eyes to meet mine again. "I'll keep you safe."

When he reached over to take my hand, I slipped my fingers through his.

"I would hope you would," I tried to smile at him, but I wasn't sure it was quite a smile. I wouldn't lie and say that I wasn't getting scared the closer it got to Saturday. I was terrified, my only consolation being Alice and Jasper.

Alice in that I knew she liked me; Jasper because of these promises he was making me.

Jasper reached a hand up and cupped my cheek, running his thumb along it. "We'll end it."

Despite all of Alice's visions and checking, Jasper must have been nervous, too. He asked, and I agreed, to let him walk me to my classes that day. Jessica had switched tactics and had decided to go the route of ignoring Bella, which she did by sticking close to Lauren.

Jasper carried my backpack for me while we walked. When we got to my first period class, we were still a little early, Jasper leaned against the wall, waiting for the bell outside the door with me.

"Just promise you won't do anything brash?" Jasper asked softly. This time I did smile, a true smile.

"Jasper Hale, do you not trust me?" He reached for my hand, running his finger down the scar on my thumb. Jasper didn't even have to look to know where it was, like he had me memorized. The thought, and his touch, made me shiver.

"I've seen some proof of your impulsivity."

"I promise I'll behave."

I had not realized how closely we had drifted to one another until the bell rang. It made me jump, sending me away from him. I smiled shyly at him, feeling the blush in my cheeks. Jasper didn't have the good grace to hide his amusement.

"I'll see you after class," I told him, tilting my head back to look into his shining eyes.

"Yes," Jasper opened the classroom door for me. "You will."

* * *

Jasper's attention, of course, did not go unnoticed. This was Forks, after all. And Bella was such a quiet little mouse that the attention didn't stay on her for long, though I think she was thankful for that.

"Seems you're getting pretty close to that Spanish partner of yours, Maisie." Tyler teased me, leaning over Lauren so he could flick my hand. Though Tyler hadn't shown the same interest in Bella that Mike had, Lauren had tactfully placed herself always in Tyler's line of sight when Bella was around.

"I told you that you would be bored with any other partner!" Ben started in on me, too. Angela gave him a look and I threw one of my chips at him, but he only laughed and dodged.

"Benjamin, I expect better from you!" I was laughing, too, though. For one thing, I truly did think my friends were funny. But for another, they didn't need to suspect anything strange. They already knew I was skipping out on the La Push trip because I would be 'working on my Spanish project' with Jasper.

"He's nice, then? Jasper?" Bella asked. I'm sure she was still thinking about Edward's reaction to her.

"He's a gentleman." That was the most genuine word I could think of for Jasper. From class to class, he had carried my backpack. He opened doors. He always offered me his hand when I had to step down from anything—my car, his motorcycle, something as simple as a sidewalk.

My praise didn't seem to sit well with Bella. She pouted her lips and her eyebrows drew together. I could practically see her comparing my words to Edward in her head.

"A gentleman!" Jessica echoed me, giggling all the while. "Only to you. He's never talked to anyone else."

"Are you jealous about that?" Mike asked, looking up from his sandwich for the first time during lunch. I think everyone averted their gaze at once. Mike and Jessica were obviously fighting, but we were all trying to ignore it. I was trying to give them privacy, but I think overall everyone was just uncomfortable with it.

"I'm never jealous of my _friends_ ," Jessica said flippantly, shaking her curls out to punctuate her words. The emphasis with which she said it wasn't lost on anyone, least of all Mike.

I, for one, was not sad when lunch was over and I could get away from the awkwardness. But I stepped from one awkward situation to another. I met Jasper at the door of the cafeteria, not protesting then he held his hand out for my bag.

"So, I'm a gentleman, am I?" I felt the heat rise in my cheeks immediately.

"Y'all do have good hearing, huh?"

He laughed in reply. I saved him the trouble of holding his hand out for me to step down from the sidewalk by tucking my hand into the crook of his elbow. I rested my hand lightly, because I didn't want to make Jasper uncomfortable. He insisted that the way I smelled didn't bother him, but I still didn't want to chance it.

Jasper's other hand settled over mine for just a moment, pushing it gently so that I was truly holding on to his arm and not his sleeve.

"I reckon you could say so."

I was not so worried about the attention that Jasper walking me to class brought us. It didn't seem that Jasper was, either. We had more on our minds, surely, with the plans for tomorrow.

A connection, a comradery of sorts, bonded us together now. I was in on his secret, and he was in on mine. Not to mention, the same vampire that had changed Jasper had also given me my scar. At one point, we each had the same venom in our veins.

We were connected, in a way, long before we ever knew each other.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**-Chapter Nineteen-**

* * *

Even with the circumstances, Alice found a way to poke fun at Jasper. He had reminded her, _several_ times, that the clothing she lent to Maisie needed to be warm. When Alice came down the stairs, ready to go to the Thompson house and prep Maisie for their plan, she was wearing more than a few layers.

"Will this suffice?" Alice asked, taking the skirt of her sweater dress and dropping into a curtsy before him. In addition to the thick dress, she was wearing wool tights, sturdy boots, a thick coat, gloves, a scarf, and a knit hat.

In Jasper's defense, Alice had told him that today would bring the first snow of the season to Forks. Per the plan, Maisie would be standing in the forest whereas Alice would be inside the Thompson house.

"She might actually overheat." Jasper took Alice's hand and spun her toward the door. "I've never seen her wear _that_ many layers. You'd best go, we're on a time frame."

With Edward still with their Denali cousins in Alaska, it was hard to know exactly where James was. Alice had her visions, of course, but those were subject to change at any time. Edward's mindreading always provided them with a more accurate form of tracking.

Alice flounced her way out the door. Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, and Carlisle were already in their positions, miles from the house. The point was to trick James, to make him think that he would be able to find Maisie alone, defenseless.

Well. In a way. Alice would be close by; the girls were placed at the Thompson house to be a dual temptation. Before Edward left, he was able to glean from James' mind that he knew Alice, before, in her human life. According to Edward, James quite literally thought of Alice as 'the one that got away', because he had plans to devour her before a kindly vampire changed Alice for her own protection.

There were big plans in the Cullen family to dig deeper into this once the James situation was resolved.

Jasper would also be decently close by—not too close, so as not to alert James, but close enough to have James in his range. He wanted to make sure that he was there to bolster James' natural cockiness, so he wouldn't notice the ambush the rest of the family would be executing. It was a tried and true method for Jasper, one that he used to employ often against rival armies during the Southern Wars.

Alice and Jasper would be the only souls decently close. The rest of their family was miles off, 'hunting'. Maisie had assured them, and Alice had double-checked, that all of her family members would be gone for the day. Gunner at his detention; her mother at her own school, grading papers; her father and Ava in Port Angeles, to take the new dogs to the vet and the groomers.

Inside his own house, he could hear Maisie and Alice's conversation in the Thompson house.

 _"You already kind of smell like a vampire, just a tiny bit,"_ Alice was telling Maisie. _"Wearing my clothes should cover the rest of it."_

 _"So, you'll smell like me?"_ Since he had told her the secret, Maisie had been trying hard to understand any and all things vampire.

 _"To an extent."_ Jasper could hear Maisie loading the shotgun while Alice talked. _"I don't think our ruse will hold long. James is a tracker; that's his heightened ability, it seems. You'll have to catch his attention, but don't worry. Jasper will be close by, to monitor and manipulate James' mood."_

 _"Ooooh,"_ Maisie drew the word out conspiratorially. _"That's what he can do? I haven't been able to get it out of him."_

There was a reason Jasper hadn't told Maisie about his mood manipulating abilities, but even he didn't understand it. He was hesitant to tell her, he reasoned, because he didn't want her to think that he had manipulated her moods. Which, to be fair, he had on the day they had skipped last week.

But Jasper could feel the way her emotions brightened when she saw him, even after he told her they were all vampires. Maisie genuinely liked to have him around, which was so foreign to Jasper. Humans typically knew, instinctually if not consciously, that his family was dangerous. His own kind could easily see his multitude of scars, and that was enough to convince them that he was someone to avoid.

He didn't want her opinion of him to change, for Maisie to think that he had been forcing her to enjoy his presence.

 _"He can be a brat,"_ Alice said, knowing full well that Jasper could hear her. She must have known he was being nosey. _"Let's go, I'll put you in position."_

That was also a cue for Jasper. He took to the trees, which thankfully still wore most of their leaves despite the impending snow. It leant him coverage, especially with the fall-toned colors he had chosen to wear. Jasper settled into a tree that was honestly probably too close from a strategy standpoint, but he couldn't help himself. He wanted to be as close to Maisie as he could without revealing himself.

Alice already had Maisie in her place. The low-hanging snow clouds made for low light all around despite it being early afternoon. The dark blue coat Alice had chosen helped Maisie blend into the soft tree shadows a little.

Jasper could see Maisie easily, which is what he wanted. He watched Maisie plant her feet, her shoulders rising and falling with her self-steadying breaths. She was a juxtaposition, with the fine, ruffled things Alice had dressed her in and the gun she held in her hands. Maisie held the gun across her body, ready to raise it and shoot at a moment's notice.

Her hold on the gun and the tight, anticipatory set of her muscles as she waited for James gave Jasper a sudden flash of his own human life, when he used to adopt a very similar stance on a regular basis.

Despite all of Maisie's reassurance that she would be fine, and that she really wanted to help, Jasper still focused in on her emotions. She was terrified; Maisie's heartbeat alone could have told him that. If she weren't scared, Jasper would have been worried. Underneath the terror was adrenaline and anticipation.

Suddenly, Maisie lifted her head, setting her sights toward Jasper. He was positive she couldn't see him, yet she was amazingly close with where she set her gaze, as if she had felt his watching her. Head tilted upward, Maisie smiled brightly at him. Simultaneously, calm and resolve flooded her, seemingly just because she knew he was there.

That was why he was so hesitant to ever manipulate Maisie's emotions. Jasper didn't want her to think any of that, any of these things that had made him happy since he had met her, were disingenuous. He still smiled back, reflexively, even though he was hidden from her sight. He hoped she could feel that smile, somehow.

Jasper would have gone to her, right then, but he knew he couldn't distract Maisie. James was seconds away.

He dropped from the trees, almost exactly opposite from where Maisie stood. Alice had done well with positioning her. As soon as he appeared, Jasper bolstered James' already considerable confidence. His hope was that, if James was overcome with cockiness enough, it would give Maisie the time she needed to surprise James.

The fallen leaves, soggy and soft from all the rain and sleet Forks had gotten in the last several weeks, lent itself to Maisie. Her footsteps were cushioned, barely making a sound as she stepped forward to get a clear shot.

Jasper was holding his breath, but his old standby worked again. James slinked his way toward the Thompson house while Maisie raised the gun to her shoulder. She took a moment to line up her shot, taking several deep breaths. Maisie was shaking but seemed to be trying to steady herself, so her shot would hit its mark.

This first shot was important. It was to be the signal for Rosalie, Emmett, Esme, and Carlisle. Maisie was to catch James' attention, and hold it with the five bullets she had at her disposal, so that the others could take him out.

Alice and Jasper were close by as insurance, just in case Maisie wasn't able to hold James' rapt attention. Or if she ran out of bullets. Or if James changed his mind and didn't want to play his usual games. Or—

Maisie's shot jerked Jasper out of his worried thoughts. He looked over in time to see James freeze, to see Maisie's bullet embed itself into the back of James' head. He turned slowly, a dark smile overcoming his face.

"You're a slow learner!" He called out to Maisie. "Haven't you figured out that your guns don't work?"

James began his typical, slow and lazy walk toward Maisie. As Alice had advised her, Maisie stood still. Her gun was still raised, ready to shoot again.

 _Engage him_ , Jasper urged Maisie silently. The last thing he wanted was for James to grow bored.

"You're one to talk," Maisie's voice was nowhere near as loud as James', but at least she was talking. "It seems to me this should be familiar to you."

If he weren't trying to hide, Jasper might have sighed. That was good. _Good, Maisie. Keep his attention on you._ He wished she were able to hear these thoughts.

"Oh?" James asked. His pause, his cocked eyebrow, were surely for show. "I don't seem to recall other humans who get it into their head to shoot vampires."

If he was trying to shock Maisie, it didn't work. She stayed still, her finger poised to pull the trigger when she got a chance.

"That's a shame. You make a good moving target."

James smiled wider. Jasper was actually relieved to feel how much the nomad was enjoying this.

"This makes it twice that you've shot me in my pretty little head. Wouldn't you like to try somewhere else?"

Maisie took his suggestion, leveling her next shot at his heart. The cracking sound that resonated from James' skin set Jasper's teeth on edge. It made Maisie's heart beat faster, understandably, but her reaction only excited James more.

"Sorry," James said without any ounce of actual remorse in his voice. "Doesn't beat like it used to."

"That's alright." By now, James had started creeping towards Maisie again. "Your neck wouldn't bother you either, then?"

The next bullet landed even as James shook his head in answer. "Makes a lot of cracks, though, doesn't it? Even if it doesn't hurt?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, doll." Hearing James address Maisie with a pet name made Jasper's skin crawl. "I don't feel a thing."

"That's unfortunate." The rest of the Cullens were close. Behind James' back, Alice dropped lightly from Maisie's bedroom window. Jasper mirrored his sister's actions, letting himself slide carefully from the tree.

Maisie had been taking all thing vampire in stride, but Jasper didn't think that she would take well to seeing James' head being ripped off…which Emmett was incredibly excited about. He loved anything that gave him an excuse to use his strength.

Only three bullets had to be used to keep James distracted long enough for the Cullens to arrive unnoticed. Before James had a chance to even take his eyes off Maisie, Carlisle had a hold of one arm, Rosalie had the other, and Emmett had the nomad in a headlock.

"Those cracks are gonna make it easier to tear you apart, though!" Emmett's words caused another spike in Maisie's fear, just like Jasper had anticipated. He made it to her just in time, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and turning Maisie away before she could see anything.

Maisie clung to him instantly, dropping the shotgun in favor of taking hold of him. Jasper caught the shotgun in his free hand and quickly started walking Maisie away from the scene behind them. He knew they would make quick work and burn James' body far away.

"It's done, it's over," he whispered to her, bending his head close to hers. Against his side, he could feel her heartbeat slowly calming. Maisie was shaking, but he doubted the snow that had began to fall had anything to do with it.

Jasper walked her all the way into her house, away from the cold and away from the now empty scene. His family had already left, carting James' body away from the Thompson house. Once they were inside Maisie's bedroom, Jasper set the shotgun aside and wrapped his arms fully around Maisie.

For a moment, they only held each other, Maisie's head resting on his chest and Jasper's hand tangled in her hair as he cradled her head. Then Maisie was tipping her head back, laughing, her eyes shining. It made Jasper smile, despite himself.

"We really did it, huh?" She asked, the laugh even present in her words. "It really worked! I _told_ you I wouldn't mess it up!"

His own mood was soaring with the success, not to mention he was riding the waves of Maisie's own adrenaline and excitement. Before he could give it a second thought, Jasper cupped her face between his hands and kissed her.

The first kiss surprised both of them. Neither had expected it, and it was short lived, because Jasper pulled away once he realized what he had done. He found Maisie's eyes a deeper, hazier shade of blue than he had ever seen, but only for a moment. Before he could say anything, Maisie had bounced onto her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing her lips back to his.

The second kiss was much longer, and even with the entire length of Maisie's body pressed to his, not once did Jasper's throat ache. Her hand was in his hair, his hands were on her waist, sliding underneath the borrowed coat to bring her closer. Jasper was quite certain he could go on kissing Maisie indefinitely, but while he may not need to breathe, she certainly did. Eventually, they drifted slightly apart.

"I shouldn't be kissing you while I'm wearing your sister's clothes, I'm sorry, that's weird." The words tumbled out of Maisie's mouth, all of them falling over themselves.

Jasper only laughed and kissed her again.


	21. Chapter Twenty

**-Chapter Twenty-**

* * *

If it weren't for the telltale bruises staining my shoulder, left from the kickback of the shotgun, I might have dreamed the whole day that James died. Instead, the bruise served as a physical reminder that it was real, not some fantasy I had come up with.

I, Maisie Thompson, sixteen years old, was a regular Buffy Summers. Though my weapon of choice—or Edward's choice, more accurately—had been a shotgun, not a spike. And, like Buffy Summers, I had kissed a vampire.

The problem was that I didn't like to think of Jasper that way. It was hard for me to think of any of the Cullens vampires. That word conjured up villains, of recluses who live in dreary, damp castles, of dark figures stealing through the night and stealing femme fatales from their beds.

Maybe I had watched too many old movies with my grandparents when I was little.

Either way, the word _vampire_ did not really fit, in my mind, any of the Cullens.

Not Carlisle, the kindly young doctor.

Not Esme, who I had only met briefly the night James had broken into our house, with her kind eyes and sincere smiles.

Rosalie's haughty beauty certainly defied the word, as did Emmett's booming laugh and dimpled grins.

Certainly not Alice's way of dancing down the halls at school, or Edward's boyishly reserved manner.

It definitely didn't fit the courteous, confident, attentive boy with the bright smiles that I had come to find under Jasper's shyness.

James, yes. James was a vampire in my mind, with his red eyes and his sickly sinister smile. Maria, with her fingernail cutting into my cheek, her tongue licking my blood from her lips. That was vampiric.

Despite all that Jasper had told me, all that I had seen, I was unable to correlate the two in my head. Perhaps I should have spent more time mulling over all of this, especially since Edward was still in Alaska and my thoughts would be safe for now. But I was also a teenage girl who had been kissed by a beautiful boy, so once Jasper had returned to his house, I changed out of the clothes I borrowed from Alice and texted Jessica instead.

 _Guess what?_ I pressed send. Almost immediately, I got a reply from Jessica.

 _I'm going to push Bella Swan into the Pacific Ocean?_ I giggled despite myself. _Mike is having to work double time to get her attention. One of the guys from the reservation is equally in love with her._

 _You can't go to jail for murder,_ I texted back to her. _I need you to bear witness to something else._

 _Only if you'll defend me at my trial._

 _Hush. I'll just tell you if you aren't going to guess._ My thumbs felt clumsy in my excitement as I typed out the words. _Jasper kissed me today._

Jessica's first response was a stream of capitalized gibberish: _A;LSKDFFNIJTJKMFASLM._

Her second was full of expletives: _Shut the fuck up. You're kidding, right? Damn. Was it great? Tell me it was fucking fabulous. Distract me from my hell, please._

I couldn't contain the wide smile that overcame my face. I rolled on my bed so that I was laying on my stomach, typing quickly.

 _It WAS fabulous._ I typed away, telling her all the things that made it fabulous, like that it was an out of the blue surprise and how he had cupped my face with his hands and every other little detail that I knew would make Jess swoon.

And I reveled in my bragging, because first and foremost in my mind, Jasper was nothing more than a teenage boy with a quietly sweet demeanor that I liked. A lot.

* * *

I had forgotten that I had told Jasper he could come back, so we could talk, until there was a light tapping on my window.

My first reaction was for all of my senses to be set on edge. I had to remind myself that James was no longer a concern. Honeybun, laying on my rug like she liked to, lifted her head toward the window and her tail started wagging.

"Don't bark, okay? No barking," I gave her a scratch between her ears when I passed her on my way to the window. My family was settling in for the night, I knew. I hoped, quickly, that Mom hadn't turned the security system on yet.

When I pulled my curtains back, it revealed the image of Jasper lounging casually in the tree outside my window. He was still wearing the same thing he had been earlier—a reddish orange sweater, jeans, no jacket or gloves despite the falling snow. I thought the smile he gave me might just be enough to light up the night outside.

Opening my window didn't set off the security alarm, thankfully. Jasper slipped in easily and closed the window behind him, sitting on my window seat as he did so. Honeybun made her way over, resting her head on Jasper's knee and waiting for pets.

"That's a first," he mumbled to himself more than me. Tentatively, he sunk his hand into Honeybun's thick fur and rubbed her head.

"Don't feel too special," I teased him. "Honeybun here loves everyone."

"She's very…trusting." Jasper held his hand out for Honeybun to sniff. After giving it a good investigation, she licked at his fingers happily.

"Oh," I said, realizing suddenly. "Is she going to bother you? I can take her to Gunner's room."

We had been speaking in whispers because, of course, I was not advertising the fact that I had a secret boy in my room. It was only 9:30 at night, but I knew my family was hunkering down after our eventful week—not that they even knew the half of it.

Jasper laughed quietly. "No, she's fine. Animals don't even smell appetizing. I was just surprised she didn't go to raising hell. Usually, animals sense us as dangerous."

"Even tamed animals?" I was rolling up a blanket to wedge in the crack between the bottom of my door and the floor. I didn't want to take the chance of our voices carrying. This was a trick I used a lot, during late night phone conversations when I was supposed to be asleep.

"Yes. They can smell the difference between humans and…others. I suppose it doesn't matter much to Honeybun, though."

"I don't think much matters to her, so long as she's getting attention." I flicked off my light and placed the blanket in the crack.

"It doesn't bother you to be here, either, does it?" Jasper scooted along the window seat to make room for me. I tucked myself in beside him. Honeybun, apparently satisfied with the amount of petting she had gotten, returned to her spot on my rug.

"Not as long as you're here, too. It's much easier to handle, the thirst, when you're around." We sat with our backs to the walls, facing each other, our legs in a tangle in between us. I left the curtains open, giving us some light. Snow always glowed at night, somehow, even when the moon and stars were hidden behind the clouds.

"Is that why you like me?" The whole point of Jasper coming over was for me to ask questions. That had been Jasper's idea.

His smile that he gave me was sheepish. "I won't say it's not a positive, especially considering my track record, but, no. I thought you were kind, first, the day you told me to leave class."

I had forgotten about that stormy day. "It was hard for you, that day?"

He nodded in the moonlight. "Yes. The humidity and the lights going out and all the anxiety from everyone around me…it made the atmosphere close and thick. I wasn't prepared for it, and it was getting to me. I would have made a huge mistake if you hadn't told me to go."

Reaching across our legs, I took his hand into mine.

"Does it happen a lot for you?" I was asking not because I was scared—it was already solidified in my mind that Jasper wouldn't hurt me—but rather because I felt bad. Pity wasn't exactly the right word, but I didn't like the idea that Jasper was always struggling. It wasn't fair.

"I've been working on it since the forties," his tone was almost casual, as was the little smirk playing on his lips, but his eyes told a different story. "It's slowly getting better. Undoing all the damage from serving in Maria's army is like moving through molasses, but it's possible."

 _Like moving through molasses._

"I'm sorry it's hard for you," I couldn't help but say. Jasper gave my hand a little squeeze and shrugged.

"It's okay. My family's always been a great support. Even Rosalie and Edward, most of the time." I smiled at him in the dark, hoping it was reassuring. The dark didn't last long—it had stopped snowing, and the clouds had started to break apart. This was a usual weather pattern for Forks. I had seen the moon many more times than I had seen the sun since moving to Washington.

"Alice said you can change people's moods?" I studied him in the moonlight. It reflected off the snow so strongly that I could see more of the scars Jasper had told me he earned from his time in Maria's army.

They crisscrossed his neck, bleeding onto his jawline. A few were misplaced along his face: one on his temple, just shy of his eye; another next to his mouth, cutting through his lower lip. It was amazing to me that they healed so well. You wouldn't ever guess they were there, if you didn't know what you should be looking for.

"Yes, and feel them. The emotions are more potent if I know someone well…which makes all of Rose and Edward's spats a lot of fun." His smile here was rueful. "But it makes being around Esme wonderful. When Esme loves you, she never lets you forget it."

"How does that work? Changing someone's emotions?"

"Do you want me to show you?" Jasper quirked one eyebrow upward.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but Jasper had yet to fail me, so I said 'sure'. The change was subtle, at first. I had been calm before, maybe even a little sleepy, but it had been a long week. Slowly, I felt more and more awake, like I had drank a considerable amount of coffee and the caffeine was worming its way into my bloodstream. I started to feel jittery, too, like I wanted to tap my fingers or pace or just some kind of movement because I had too much energy in my body.

"Okay, stop that," I said when it became too much for me. Jasper chuckled softly and immediately the jittery alertness drained from me, replaced with the comfortable sleepiness I had felt before.

"I don't like to use it on people I care about, unless I think it will truly benefit them. If Edward were here, for example, I might flood him with calm and tranquility to help him with Bella Swan's smell."

"Will it make it harder for you, when Edward comes back?" The way his eyes widened, and his eyebrows shot up, let me know that Jasper hadn't even thought about that.

"Undoubtedly," he conceded softly. "I can't turn it off. This isn't a choice for me, to feel everyone else's emotions. And the more familiar I am with someone, the more intensely I feel their emotions. I don't know how you could stand the stitches, I could barely handle all the pain and itching in class."

"You could feel all that and you didn't do anything about it? Rude." He picked up on my teasing, that smirk returning to his face.

"That's twice in a week you've called me rude. You were hurt before all of this, before everything changed. I also try not to interfere with the emotions of people who don't know what we are. One of the biggest rules of our kind is to not draw attention, remember, and that leaves a lot of gray area for myself, Edward, and Alice, as our family chooses to assimilate with humans."

"Do y'all ever interfere?" In the moonlight, I watched Jasper nod.

"We have before, when we've felt it necessary. When we've been able to do it quietly. It's easier for Edward and Alice; they've always been better at interacting with humans than I have been. Carlisle is really the holy grail, though. He's done so much for so many people over the years. We try, but Carlisle's always going to have us beat."

Jasper was the one who could hone in on other people's feelings, but it was obvious that he loved both Esme and Carlisle from the way he spoke of them. He said that living among humans created gray areas for them, but I realized I was in a gray area myself. The Cullens were not evil monsters in my mind, but James was. Maria was.

Humans could fall anywhere on the range from good to evil. Vampires, I decided that night, could too.

I was getting sleepier the more Jasper and I talked. His whispered words, the dark, the quiet, snowy world outside…all of it was conspiring to lull me to sleep. And Jasper knew it, too, as he could feel it as much as I could.

"You need to sleep," he told me, ignoring my protests. "You've had a long week, Maisie."

After a few minutes, I gave in to Jasper's insistence that I should go to bed. "I _guess_."

Jasper laughed while I yawned. He carefully untangled himself from me, sitting upright on our shared window seat. I sat up, too, getting ready to stand up and cross the room to my bed.

"Can I kiss you again, now that you're not wearing my sister's clothes?" He was teasing me, making me blush and giggle. I turned my face upward toward him. Jasper kissed me first on the lips, softly and sweetly, and the again on my forehead.

When Jasper positioned his hands under the window sill to open it, I nearly knocked myself over to grab onto his sweater sleeve to stop him.

"Jasper! The alarm, remember? Let me go turn it off before you open it."

"Don't worry," he told me with a wink. "Go to bed, sleepy head. I'll be too quick to trigger the alarm."

I had my doubts, but I also had no chance to voice them. Jasper was true to his word. He was on the other side of the window before I could even blink, giving me one more farewell wave from the tree.

"Show off," I grumbled, knowing he would be able to hear me. I waved back to Jasper and closed my curtains, stepping over Honeybun to get into bed.

* * *

Monday morning dawned so bitterly cold that Gunner and I spent the morning trying to gas each other up to make the trek from the doorway to my car.

"You have fire hair," I told Gunner. "Use your ginger powers to get us there."

"I already told you, I'm not carrying you to the car. This is sibling solidarity, we're both freezing."

"You two better get out there before I push your both out of the house and lock the door," Mom threatened, tying on Ava's snow boots.

"The snow's going to be to my knees!" I protested.

"Your father was out before sunup, shoveling the drive way so you can back out and get to school."

Neither of us had a retort for Mom's guilt trip. Gunner blew his breath through his nose, steeling himself, and grabbed my gloved hand in his.

"We'll make a run for it." I was glad for Gunner's hold on my hand. I would have turned around and ran back inside if he hadn't pulled me to the car. We wasted time shivering inside, waiting for the heater to warm us up, before heading to school.

This made us later than we had been in a week. Other people were actually in the parking lot. Like the kind sister that I was, I parked as close to the gym as I could for Gunner.

"Watch me. Make sure I don't freeze to death before I make it to the doors."

I did watch him, laughing at the way he let his limbs flail through the snow in his haste to get to the gym. The cold was a stealer of dignity, it seemed. After Gunner was safely inside and not instantaneously frozen, I myself rushed to the closest building.

My first class was in a different hall than this one, but my desire to be warm won out over my desire to not be late for class. Cutting through this hall, though, put me right in the path of Bella. She was much paler than she usually was, her eyes darting around. I gave her a polite smile as I tried to walk past, but Bella's arm shot out, stopping me in my tracks.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Her voice was soft, but urgent.

"Um, sure." I honestly thought it would be something about Mike or Jessica. I let her pull me aside, where there was a break between two rows of lockers. It made for a little pocket of privacy in the hallway.

Bella was several inches taller than me. The shadows of our location made the dark blotches under her eyes more obvious. She looked like she had a rougher week than I had, and I had assisted in killing a vampire.

"So…what's up?" I prompted when Bella bit her thumbnail instead of saying anything. The bell was going to ring soon. Gunner would never stop making fun of me if I got a tardy, since me and Dad had spent all weekend teasing him.

I wasn't prepared for the words that Bella blurted out. "Do you know what the Cullens _are?_ "

"Alaskans?" I was grappling for something, anything, to cover my surprise. How could Bella _know?_ Edward surely hadn't told her—hell, he was still in Alaska himself.

She seemed to deflate at my feigned ignorance. "They're dangerous."

"Is there some kind of rivalry between Arizona and Alaska that I don't know about?" My heart was pounding in my chest. I kind of felt like I was going to throw up. I hadn't expected to be confronted so blatantly about the Cullens.

She leaned closer to me. I wanted desperately to leave, but Bella was blocking my way. When I took a step forward, so did she, keeping me boxed in.

"You don't understand." The words came out like a hiss. "They aren't regular people."

"Listen," I said, decided quickly that defensive denial was the best way to go. "I don't know what kind of water y'all were drinking in Arizona, but you're not making any sense. Move."

Bella opened her mouth to speak, but a different voice interrupted her.

"Excuse me." It was the first time I had heard Rosalie speak. She loomed behind us, lovely even with her severe glare. "I hate to interrupt, but I need Maisie here. It's urgent."

Rosalie didn't give Bella a choice. She reached past her and took hold of my elbow, pulling me carefully but quickly away. Her touch was cool and light. She didn't even glance back at Bella. I fell in line beside Rosalie, the sound of the heels on her boots clicking even louder in my ears than my own heartbeat.

"Thank you," I said softly. I wondered where the rest of her family was, where Jasper was.

"It was nothing," Rosalie snapped at first. Then, more softly, but with an air of begrudging her own words: "You helped my family when you didn't have to. So, I helped you."

She walked me all the way to the double doors at the end of the halls, well out of Bella's sight.

"Play stupid if she approaches you again. I can't believe this. You knowing is bad enough, but this girl? This _stupid_ girl? This might be the time I really do kill Edward."

Most of what Rosalie said was to herself rather than me. I thanked her again, not bothering to remind her that Edward couldn't have told Bella. I had no idea how she had found out, but I figured Rosalie didn't either, and I didn't want to stoke her anger further.

I nearly collided with Jasper when I opened the door.

"I was coming," he said apologetically. Turning his gaze above my head, he looked at Rosalie. When I looked over my shoulder, I saw her angrily tapping away on her phone. "Giving Edward a piece of her mind, no doubt."

"Did I say anything wrong?" I asked. Jasper was shaking head before I even finished my sentence. He placed a hand on my back, leading me toward a different hall, where my first class was.

"No, you were fine," he promised. "Always deny, like Rosalie said. We can't even be sure she really _knows_ unless she says the word."

I wanted to ask about Edward, if he would be able to know if he came back, from reading Bella's mind. It hardly seemed like the time or place, though, so instead I let Jasper walk me to class. His face wore a pensive look the whole way there.

Outside the classroom door, Jasper dipped his head like he might kiss my cheek. Which he did, but he also whispered to me, "Everything will be okay. Well, maybe not for Edward. I've never felt Rose this mad."

Jasper left me with a reassuring smile, but I'm sure he felt how nervous I was over Bella's confrontation. I was still getting my feet wet in this new world I had stepped into, and Bella had made me unsteady.

I was deathly curious, as were the Cullens, I was sure, how Bella had become privy to the secret. _If_ she was privy to it.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello, sweet readers! I just wanted to give a quick thank you to everyone for their kind words last chapter 3 I hope you continue to enjoy the story as we progress!


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

**-Chapter Twenty-One-**

* * *

I was trying not to go crazy over Bella's hallway confrontation, but I knew it was worse for the Cullens. We were all collectively holding our breath, I think, waiting for Edward to come back from Alaska.

"They've been slammed with storms," Jasper explained one morning. We had developed a habit of him sitting in my car with me, waiting for school to start. "He would have come on foot, I'm sure, if Esme hadn't argued with him against it. Alice insists it should be okay for a few weeks yet, if we can lie low, so Edward's waiting until planes can fly out again."

"Will y'all be able to piece this together, once Edward's back? I mean, with his mindreading and all." I was hesitant to say 'we'. I had only had extended conversations with Jasper and Alice, after all.

Jasper sighed and shook his head. "I wish. That's another reason Eddy's had such a dramatic reaction to this. He _can't_ read her mind. This has never happened to Edward before."

I felt my eyebrows shoot up. So, she smelled delicious to Edward and he couldn't get inside her head. What a little puzzle for Edward.

"Can you still pick up her feelings?" Alice could obviously see her in visions, if she knew that everything would be okay for a while.

"Yes. You make her nervous."

" _I_ make her nervous?! She's the one who backed me into a corner in the hallway!" Jasper chuckled at my pouting, leaning forward to plant a light kiss on my pouting lips. It was amazing to me that he was able to kiss me so easily. I was actually becoming thankful for the scar Maria gave me.

"Remember," he told me softly. "Deny, deny, deny."

I was getting this reminder because I would be with Bella after school. With all the craziness going on with James, we had slid into November before I had even noticed. That was the month that we had the annual bake sale for the Forks High softball team.

Only me, Jess, and Lauren played, but Angela helped us bake our contribution to the sale every year. Angela, always sweet and kind, had invited Bella to help us. At my own house.

"I guess it's a good thing Edward's trapped in Alaska," I mumbled. "She'll be close today."

"But we will be close, too. We'll bail you out if you need it, somehow. Emmett and I won't go hunting until they're all gone."

Hunting. This was something that Jasper had explained to me, too, of course. Jasper hunted the most often, to help with his self-control. It made it easier, he said, to be around humans if he was full. The others didn't go as often, but Jasper didn't like to take chances.

"Ugh, I'm dreading this. Oh, hey, I brought your jacket. I forgot I still had it." I pulled his leather jacket out of my backpack. Jasper shrugged into it, layering the jacket on top of his hoodie, before getting out to open my door.

"I still have Alice's clothes, too." Across the schoolyard, I watched Alice and Rosalie were picking their path in the big footsteps Emmett left in the snow. Alice must have heard me say her name—she picked her head up and waved at me.

"She'll be round to get them when she decides she needs them, I'm sure. I don't think she's worn any of the clothes you borrowed to school yet."

Alice had never worn the same thing twice to school. I knew this for sure, because me and Jess had spent all last school year keeping track of her outfits. I blushed a little at the memory.

How funny life was sometimes.

* * *

"You must be Charlie's daughter!"

Me and Jess were already in my kitchen, but my dad's exclamation let us know that Bella had arrived. Angela had, too—they came together, but I guess Dad wasn't as excited to see her. Angela had been coming over for years.

"We've seen a lot of your father recently," Dad continued. "He's a great guy."

Charlie Swan had been to the house a few times since the break-in, doing walk-arounds to look for any new evidence. I would have liked to tell him that everything was fine now, but you can't really explain to a police officer that you're sure the intruder won't come back because he's dead.

"He loves his job, that's for sure." Bella's response was fine on the surface, but I realized Jasper was right. There was an undercurrent of unease in her voice. I doubted it had anything to do with meeting my parents.

"Hey, Mr. T." That was Lauren's voice. She sauntered in ahead of Bella and Angela, carrying a bag in her hand.

"I'm making brownies. What were you guys making again?"

"Oreo balls," Jessica told her, pulling the recipe up on her phone. "No baking required. Hopefully I can't mess it up."

Jess wasn't what I would call a great cook. She tried, but she definitely wasn't going to have a culinary career.

"Don't you need the blender for that?" I asked Jess. Then, to Lauren, "I'm making poke cakes."

Eventually, Angela and Bella escaped conversation with my dad and made it into the kitchen.

"Okay, Jessica, let me and Bella see your recipe. Surely we can get something edible this year with two of us helping."

I laughed at the face Jess made at Angela. She had cooled a bit toward Bella, likely because Mike had, too. Word on the street (from Jessica and Lauren, of course) was that Bella spent a lot of time with the boy from La Push last weekend, Jacob Black. I didn't know him; I only knew a few of the kids from La Push, mostly girls from their softball team, like Leah Clearwater.

"Here." A little meanly, I gave the blender to Bella, so she would be forced to acknowledge me in my own house. She had been avoiding my gaze already. "You better watch Jess with this. I don't think she's ever touched a blender."

"Is this just going to be the Make Fun of Jessica Baking Show?" Hands on her hips, Jessica pouted and rolled her eyes.

"I can always call Gunner down if you really want to be made fun of." Jessica started to protest, but Lauren cut her off.

"Where's my little helper?" She didn't wait for my reply, instead walking into the living room and calling Ava's name. Ava, unlike Gunner, l _oved_ Lauren. She helped her with whatever she was making every time we had the bake sale.

"You have a little sister, too?" Bella asked, watching as Ava cartwheeled her way into the kitchen. Doing cartwheels was Ava's new thing. She had taught herself how, and now used them as her primary mode of transportation instead of walking.

"Yeah, she's a hot mess."

"She's an _angel_ ," Lauren disagreed, lifting Ava onto the counter next to her mixing bowl. She started handing Ava ingredients for the brownies.

We chattered as we worked. I think Bella might not have spoken at all if Angela didn't ask her questions like, _How do you like Forks?_ and _What was Arizona like?_

At first Bella answered these questions with as few words as possible, but Angela must have emboldened her. Eventually she started asking carefully phrased questions of her own.

"People don't move here very often, do they?" It wasn't really directed at any of us, but I knew where she was going with it.

"We moved here when I was ten," I offered.

"We were about fourteen when the Cullens moved here, right? So, that was two years ago." Jessica said. Me and Lauren were the only ones who were fourteen when the Cullens arrived. The way our birthdays fell made Gunner older for his grade, and myself on the younger side.

Bella and Jessica were already seventeen. Angela would have a birthday later that month. Lauren, like me, was a straggler. Her birthday was in January, just a few weeks before mine.

"Speaking of the Cullens," Lauren turned to me. "Where's Edward been?"

I knew why she was asking me. It was plain for my classmates to see that there was something between me and Jasper.

"Oh, he wasn't supposed to be gone so long." I was taking liberties here. Jasper had only told me to deny anything Bella tried to get out of me, but there was no coaching on what to say otherwise. "He went to help their family in Alaska, but it's been storming there, so he hasn't been able to fly back."

I could feel Bella's gaze on me with every word I said.

"I didn't know they had family in Alaska." Angela peeked up from the Oreos she was crushing.

"Cousins in Denali," I said carefully. "On Dr. Cullen's side."

The lies were coming so easily that I was shocked at myself. I didn't like to lie to my friends, but I couldn't say the truth, either, even if Bella hadn't been there.

"But all the Cullen kids aren't really related, right?" Bella interjected.

"Rosalie and Emmett are together, so we better hope not!" Jessica joked. She had always poked fun at that aspect.

"Only Rosalie and Jasper are related," Angela answered before I could. "They're twins, and Mrs. Cullen is their aunt and legal guardian. That's why they have the last name Hale instead of Cullen."

"You and your brother aren't twins, though, Maisie?" I would have answered Bella, but Gunner had just strolled into the kitchen.

"I can barely stand to live in the same house with her, I wouldn't have made it for nine months in the same womb." He dodged when I tried to smack him, making his way to the fridge and pulling out a container of watermelon. "See the abuse I live with? If we were twins, she would've been one of those that eats the other."

"Gunner's just jealous that I'm ten months older than him."

"Why should I be jealous? Obviously I was more important, if Mom and Dad were spending time making me instead of taking care of you."

Ava, ever the mediator of our arguments, fixed us with one of her too serious for a four-year-old looks. "Stop it. Mama says I'm the best, anyway."

That made all of us laugh. Trust the four-year-old to be the one to destroy the awkward atmosphere in two sentences.

* * *

"She's doing well," Esme said. Carlisle nodded his head appreciatively.

"I didn't expect the Swan girl to be so full of questions. Maisie is answering and deflecting just like any of us would."

Jasper's chest filled with pride. He knew Maisie wouldn't betray them, but it bolstered him to know his family was coming to see that, too.

"I still can't believe she said 'Alaskans' when Bella asked her if she knew what we were!" Emmett, Jasper was sure, was never going to let that go. He had been laughing about it since it happened.

Rosalie rolled her eyes at Emmett and he drew her near, nuzzling his face into her hair.

"You know you thought it was funny, too, baby," he murmured against her neck. Despite her annoyance just a second earlier, a soft smile worked its way onto Rosalie's full lips and she ran her fingers through Emmett's dark curls.

"Alice, you still don't see anything?" Edward's voice came from Carlisle's phone. They had him on speaker, conferenced in from Alaska to join the family discussion.

"It's hard to see anything, she spends so much time around the werewolves. You know I can't see them." Alice was so frustrated that Jasper sent some soothing waves her way. She smiled her thanks at him, but the reprieve didn't last long.

"We wouldn't be in this mess if Alice had been scanning more closely." Rosalie was known for picking fights with just about every member of the family when she was in a mood. Alice's anger flared again, entirely resistant to Jasper's efforts.

"That's not fair, Rose," Jasper and Edward spoke the same words at the same time. Under different circumstances, it might have been funny.

"We were a little preoccupied last weekend, or have you forgotten?" Jasper pushed forward.

He was sure that Rosalie would have snapped at him if Carlisle hadn't raised his hand, silencing all of them. "Listen."

Over the phone, Edward groaned. He wasn't able to hear anything other than the conversation taking place in the living room through the phone's speaker.

"Hush, bro," Emmett told him. "We'll fill you in."

 _"So, Bella, how did you like La Push?"_ Maisie was asking. It was well-covered, but there was a touch of challenge in her tone. _"Looks like you survived without getting a Mike Newton-inspired injury."_

 _"I'm not sure how much of the beach she actually saw,"_ Lauren Mallory answered before Bella could. _"She was pretty wrapped up in conversation with one of the Quileute boys."_

 _"Jacob's dad and mine are friends,"_ Bella justified. _"I spent some summers with his sisters when I was little."_

 _"You did look pretty taken up by him. What were you guys talking about? It looked serious."_ If the events at La Push last weekend had drawn Angela Weber's attention, Jasper figured there must have been some weight to them. Angela was night the type of girl to pry or gossip, typically.

 _"He was just telling me some of the old Quileute legends. They were more like ghost stories than anything."_

That was how Bella knew.

"The Cold Ones legend," Carlisle muttered to himself. "I didn't realize that the Quileute were so free with their stories."

"Jacob, she said? He's not old enough to phase yet, dear. He likely doesn't realize it's not just a story." Esme was likely right.

The Cullen coven was unchanging whereas the werewolf pack had a rotating cast of members depending on the years. As such, they liked to try to keep tabs on who was a current member.

"What did she _say?_ " Edward's voice cut in. Jasper had been listening so intently to the conversation from Maisie's house that he almost forgot that Emmett had promised Edward he would be caught up to speed.

"She said that Jacob Black told her some of the old Quileute legends last weekend," Alice was quick to answer before Rosalie could snap at him. She was filled with fire at Bella's words. "Bella didn't outright say he told her the legend of the Cold Ones, but I think it's reasonable to deduce."

Emmett caught Rosalie's wrist when she tried to stand. "Baby, please, we'll fix it. Don't storm off over this."

When Rosalie didn't show any signs of even hearing Emmett's words, he pleaded to his brother. "Jazz, help."

"Don't even think of it, Jasper." Emmett was the strongest…except when it came to Rosalie. She yanked her hand from his easily, flitting to the door. Rosalie was outside in just half a second, but Emmett was close behind.

"Fill me in, too," he called over his shoulder before going to follow Rosalie.

Esme seemed to deflate a little as she watched two of her children retreat into the forest. Jasper pushed reassurance at her. He hated to see her down.

"We can't have helped that," Jasper rationalized. "Ali can't see the werewolves, and we're not allowed on the land, either. Even if Edward had been here, there would have been no stopping it."

Edward's growl of frustration rang through the room. "I'm coming home. I'll start out tonight. I can't be stuck here with all of this going on."

"Edward…" Esme began. Never mind that the elements wouldn't have an affect on Edward, she still didn't like the idea of one of her children in snow storms and swimming in icy seas.

"I'm coming," he insisted. "Should I tell Tanya and the others…?"

"There's no need to bring our cousins into it," Carlisle decided. "No need to make them worry. They know that Victoria and James were destroyed for infringing, and Laurent has already told them about Maisie's mark. That's all they need to be concerned with for now."

 _For now_. Because none of them really knew the full extent of marking. Jasper had already written a letter to Charlotte and Peter—they would be in Forks within the week to touch base with him over this. He would have liked to meet them where they were, but with Edward already having spent more than a week away in Alaska, he thought it best not to create another absence and draw further attention to his family.

Alice sighed beside him. Jasper had been so in his own head that he hadn't realized she had been in the future.

"I'm sorry." Behind her words were frustration and disappointment in herself. "Everything is too muddled. Yes, Eddy, please do come home. I know you can't read Bella's thoughts, but I need you. I can't piece it together on foggy visions alone."

"Don't leave Maisie out of this picture." His brother's words made Jasper perk up.

"What do you mean, Edward?"

The smugness was clear in Edward's voice when he answered. "Think about it from a strategic point of view, Jasper. Maisie is a great advantage that we wouldn't otherwise have. Even with her affiliation with us, she's still human. She can pick Bella's brain for us. She can step foot on Quileute land."

"She's not a chest piece," Jasper forced out around the knot of anger and disgust that had formed in his throat. "Maisie isn't a pawn."

Alice's eyes were already unfocused and far-away. He doubted she had even heard his protests. "She would do it, if you ask her. I can't tell how successful she'll be in getting information because of those stupid freaking werewolves, but Maisie would help."

Jasper had no doubts that Maisie wouldn't be willing to help, he just didn't want her to feel she had to. Like it was a requirement. He wanted, badly, for his world to be something Maisie could ease into instead of something she had to jump into head first.

"Maybe," was the only answer Jasper was able to give his family. For the first time, he didn't really care if they liked what he had to say.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi, friends! I can't stop writing, seriously, it all just flows out...I'm sorry if all the updates have been annoying! I've never kept myself to a schedule for stories and I always feel like I need to get chapters out as soon as they are ready!


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

**-Chapter Twenty-Two-**

* * *

Even though winter had come solidly to Forks, weeks ahead of December, as it always did, I still liked to go to the driftwood beach with Jasper. Somehow, our little pier was never covered with more than a thin dusting of snow.

Jasper would bring a flannel blanket with him, for me to lay on, stretched out over the peer so I could watch the water below. There was a little pod of dolphins that would sometimes come to the driftwood beach, and I was trying to befriend them.

"Hey, c'mon," I would tell them, taking my glove off and holding my hand out over the water. "Be my friend."

"You're ridiculous." The humor was obvious in Jasper's voice. He kept his hand on his back while I tried to tempt the dolphins, anticipating that I might slide over the edge when I would wiggle myself closer. Half of Jasper's attention was always on a book when I did this.

Sometimes he would read out loud from his books to me. A lot of them were historical texts, most of them centered around wars and conflicts and skirmishes. Jasper still found them fascinating.

I rolled under his hand, so that I was face up and it was resting on my stomach rather than my back. My dolphin friends had dived under the waves. "Where are you today?"

"Far back." He tilted his book, so I could see the cover, which bore a Tudor rose embossed on it. "War of the Roses."

"Those usurping Tudors." I watched the clouds move across the sky. Snow clouds for snow clouds, fluffy white masses streaking across the sky. "Edward should be here tonight, right?"

"Yes. Seems snowstorms and headwinds are more effective at slowing him down than Em or I ever have been." When Jasper finished his page, he slid his bookmark in and set the book aside. He laid beside me for a while, watching the clouds with me.

I rolled onto my side toward him, resting my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and dropped a quick kiss on my hairline. I giggled and returned the kiss on his jaw. Though the clouded light was too weak for me to see his scars, I could still feel them under my fingertips, under my lips.

Jasper turned his head and raised his hand, running his own fingers along my cheek, just under my scar. He looked contemplative.

"What's on your mind?" I asked him. He smiled ruefully at having been caught.

"Edward won't be the only one arriving in Forks by tonight. I have some old friends, from Maria's army, who are coming to visit."

"Forks is flush with vampires lately, isn't it?" I was being flippant. Jasper chuckled before continuing.

"Yes, but I asked Peter and Charlotte to come. They're nomadic, so they move around more than my family does. _And_ they knew Maria, as well. I wanted to ask them about your scar, about this 'marking' business, and see if they know anything more about it."

I certainly didn't need Edward to tell me that this marking tactic of Maria's puzzled Jasper. It was clear on his face every time he thought about it, and I really couldn't blame him. He had known Maria well, served under her in the army, yet this was something he had never heard of before.

"They must be good friends, then."

"Any friendship that could survive the wars was bound to be valuable." Jasper turned his eyes skyward for a few moments. "If it wouldn't scare you…I would like you to meet them, so you can tell them about your encounter with Maria."

The way Jasper phrased his sentence told me all I needed to know. Peter and Charlotte, these friends of his, were not like the Cullens. Still, I couldn't help but ask.

"Their eyes are red, then?"

"Most likely. We all share the habit of feeding often, to try to maintain our control. Peter and Charlotte spent less time in the army, but it stays with you."

"But I don't really smell appetizing, anyway."

This made Jasper close his eyes, trying to stave off the laughter. "Don't let that make you cocky."

"Breakable, I know. Emmett still thinks I'm cool, though." The snow had started up again, falling in big, soft flakes. I untangled myself from Jasper and stood up. He certainly didn't need my help, but I still offered him my hand to help him up.

"Only Carlisle has ever met a human so unafraid of vampires, and that was Edward's biological mother. That's a story for him to tell, though." Jasper was hesitant to tell me anything that he didn't consider his right to share. I was learning about Jasper's own story bit by bit—serving as Maria's second-in-command; his role as general and executioner in the army; the depression that was eating him from the inside out, which gave him the willpower to leave Maria and the army behind.

Meeting Alice, meeting the Cullens. How his life has only increasingly improved from there. How he never knew such happiness and love that he has found with his family was possible for 'their kind'.

Jasper kept hold of my hand as we walked back to my car. My parents still didn't allow me to ride on his motorcycle. No official words had been tossed around—things like _girlfriend_ or _boyfriend_ —but my parents and my friends had accepted the increased amount of time I spent with Jasper with surprising ease.

We had transitioned from friends to something more in that wonderfully easy and uncomplicated way that being young allows you to, even with all the circumstances surrounding our relationship.

"I would love to meet your friends." I knew Jasper could feel the nervousness behind my words. There was no point in trying to hide it from him.

"You really are too brave for your own good, Maisie." He lifted my chin with his fingertips so that he might kiss me before opening the car door for me.

* * *

I told my parents I was getting coffee with Jasper after school the next day, which was half true. We were meeting Charlotte and Peter in a coffee shop, but I was the only one with a drink, of course.

I studied Jasper's friends through the steam of my hot chocolate. We sat far back in the shop, in a more private corner. There were only three chairs around the little coffee table; Jasper and I shared one of them, with me curled beside him.

Peter reminded me of Jasper, in a way. They didn't look alike—Peter was a little bit shorter and much stockier, with close-cropped brown hair. But they shared mannerisms, like often scanning the room with their eyes and 'scratching' their noses.

This little quirk, I had learned from Jasper, helped to kind of cleanse the smell of human blood temporarily, by masking it with their own scent. When Peter had done it for the fourth time, Jasper opened the window we were next to just a crack.

Charlotte was like a doll, with her long, dark lashes framing her eyes and her rounded cheeks. I didn't think there was much of an age difference between us, chronologically, anyway. She seemed to have an easier time than either Jasper or Peter with the thirst, but it was plain to see how much she admired both of them.

Both Peter and Charlotte spoke with the same drawling accent that Jasper did, clearly marking them as from the same time and place at some point. Peter, I noticed, was better at keeping his face neutral. Charlotte kept giving me nervous smiles.

If they thought it odd that I was there with Jasper, they kept it to themselves.

"It's been a while since I've spoken to a human," she told me, and then her eyes widened. Their eyes were not nearly so bright as I remembered Maria's to be. They were nearly red-brown, reminding me of the tarnished ruby in the ring my mother had from her own grandmother.

"Don't worry, Charlotte." Jasper waved away her perceived misstep. "You'll find that Maisie is remarkably at ease with our world. She's been in it for longer than she originally realized."

"Yes, Jasper mentioned you had met our old friend, Maria." The way Peter said Maria's name let me know he certainly didn't think of her as a friend, even if that's what he had called her. "How did that happen? I had never known Maria to leave a human with a heartbeat."

"I was too young for y'all's laws, apparently." I explained before launching into a retelling of the story. The light in the coffee shop was dim, at least for me, but I leaned across the coffee table to let Charlotte and Peter see the scar.

"I didn't know that was possible." Charlotte asked to touch it and I let her. A little shiver racked her shoulders when she found, like Jasper had, that the skin of my scar was more similar to a vampire's than a human's.

"What could be the justification behind it? This, at leas in your case, dangerously toes the line of exposure. Why brand human children?" Another similarity between Jasper and Peter: the stony, calculating look that they got when they were trying to piece something together. You could practically see the wheels spinning in their heads.

"I had hoped you might have more answers than I do, honestly. Apparently, it's a common enough practice that some nomads we ran into recently knew about the practice. Beforehand, neither me nor my family had noticed anything different about my Maisie here."

Hearing him say 'my Maisie' left me glowing inside even with our dark conversational topic. It didn't escape Peter and Charlotte's notice either; I saw them exchange a knowing smile between them.

"She does smell a little like Maria, doesn't she? That must be how they identify who left the mark, through smell. I just can't figure out how you weren't turned, Maisie. Tell me again, please, so I might better understand how she left the scar." Peter had the same Southern manners that Jasper had, as well.

"She cut my cheek with her fingernail, and then kissed it when it began to bleed."

"Did it bleed much?"

I shook my head. "No, hardly at all at first. It didn't bleed after she kissed me, but it burned. Jasper said it was the venom that made it burn, right?"

"Yes." He answered me, but he was watching Peter. There was that calculating look again.

"I'll bet she sealed it. Remember? She would do that, seal the wounds like you might seal a letter, when she was creating newborns. Our venom can be used to heal our own wounds, if they are severe enough to need healing, as well as change humans," Peter explained in an aside to me. "The cut must have been too shallow for the venom to enter the bloodstream, so the changes were limited to the wound, and superficial at that. Such a delicate technique, but if anyone could master it, Maria could."

Jasper was nodding beside me, sending his honey blonde hair bobbing around his head. "Yes, that's what Carlisle had theorized, as well. I thought it fit, but I wanted your opinion, too, Peter."

"The _why_ behind it is still a mystery to me."

"Number insurance, according to the nomads." Jasper and Peter were both leaning forward, toward each other, as they delved deeper into their conversation. Charlotte caught my gaze and rolled her eyes affectionately at them.

"They always get like this when they get together," she told me.

Peter blew his breath. "Number insurance? If the armies are growing again, it will only draw the Volturi's attention back to them."

"I know, but…" Jasper's words fell away here. A look of quiet understanding passed between him and Peter before the latter nodded.

"Charlotte, my love." He turned to her, taking her hands in his and planting a row of kisses across her knuckles, making Charlotte giggle. "What say you to a jaunt southward? See what we can glean from a perusal along the edges of the territories. We can dance our way through New Orleans like you like to when we're done."

"We'll make sure to dance all the way to the Gulf, just for you, my love." Charlotte answered. "But we'll have to remember to write to our dear Jasper all that we learn while we're dancing."

Charlotte hugged each of us when we parted ways; Peter only shook my hand.

"Better safe than sorry," he explained. "I'm still a work in progress. One day I might be as great as my lady. She's what I strive toward."

With Jasper's arm around my shoulders, we watched them fade into the forest holding hands.

"We will solve this puzzle," Jasper assured me. "I was wondering, though, if you might be interested in helping Alice with one of her own?"

* * *

I had been wrapped up only in how James affected myself. It wasn't until after the fact that I learned that Alice and I had been a double-edged sword for him.

"Edward saw it in his thoughts," she told me. After the coffee shop, we met Alice at the Forks Public Library, the same that I worked at during the summer. A library does well in lending itself to secrets, as you're required to whisper there.

Alice was looking at newspaper articles from Mississippi on the microfiche. I hadn't realized we had so much information on hand from anywhere other than Washington. "He saw me, when I was a human."

I don't know how long Alice had been scrolling, but she was only in the 1970's. The microfiche machine was tedious, I knew.

"I didn't realize that we had these files," I whispered. "Do you think you might find something in the newspapers?"

Her eyes were bright. "I'm hoping so! It's always been such a mystery to me, my whole human life, Maisie. Now I might get to know!"

I hoped, for Alice, that the papers would go far enough back, that there might be something in them for her. They were a hodgepodge of papers, coming from several towns and counties in Mississippi. Alice's search was like looking for a needle in a haystack, but she seemed unfailingly hopeful.

"There was a name in James' head, Ali's name from before, too. Mary Alice Brandon. I thought we could help Ali by looking online while she goes through the papers."

So, that is what Jasper and I did, side by side at the computer stations while Alice combed the microfiche. The only problem with our plan was that 'Mary Alice Brandon' was proving to be a fairly common name. At least we had timeframe, 1920 and earlier, that we were searching for.

I was having terrible luck, but Jasper, ever the historian, had five tabs saved open.

"What have you found?" I asked, abandoning my own computer to lean toward Jasper's. He clicked through the tabs, letting me look through them.

Alice's human name appeared several times on a list of patients institutionalized at an insane asylum in Biloxi, Mississippi. "Do you really think…?"

"The years fit," Jasper murmured, highlighting the years 1918-1920 with the mouse cursor. A chill ran through me at the thought. I didn't have to ask why she might have been sent there. Alice was psychic now; was it really a stretch, with vampires existing, to say Alice was psychic in her human life as well?

I blew my breath and looked across the library to Alice. It seemed this world of vampires was much more convoluted and tangled than I would have guessed.

Mine and Alice's mysteries were only the beginning. I don't think even Alice realized yet, how messy it was about to get, now that Edward was back in Forks.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

**-Chapter Twenty-Three-**

* * *

The first day Edward was back, I wasn't sure Jasper was going to be able to take it. He came to me during my study hall hour again, his face drawn and dark circles under his eyes. I had never seen any of the Cullens look so much as tired. Jasper looked downright exhausted.

"Do you _ever_ go to class?" I tried to lighten his mood. He slid into the chair beside me, resting his head on top of his arms on the table. That bathroom pass was in his hand; he was holding it so tightly I thought the plastic might shatter in his grip.

"Edward's going to be the death of me," Jasper grumbled. I set my book aside and combed my fingers through his hair. His eyes drifted shut under my touch.

"Is it really so bad?" I laid my head on the table, too, so I could see his face while we talked. A deep and weary sigh escaped him.

"Right now, yes. They're only in the same hallway. When they have class together later in the day, I don't know if I'll make it."

Jasper's plan had been to try to temper Edward's thirst for Bella's blood, to make it easier for both of them. I'm not sure any of us realized just how badly Edward wanted it, though. If it was taking such a toll on Jasper, I thought it was reasonable to guess that Edward was even worse off.

"You'll be okay," I reassured him. still running my fingers through his hair. "Everything will be okay. Has Alice checked for you?"

He nodded under my hand. "She said it will be fine. Today will be fine. Ali's only been able to see definitively one day at a time."

"See? We're gonna be okay." I kissed his cheek, feeling him smile a little beneath my lips.

I tried to reassure him but seeing how Jasper was handling Edward's return to Forks High put me on edge, too. Even though I trusted in Alice's visions, I still nearly had a heart attack at lunch when Bella tripped and fell.

For once, Lauren was mean on accident. She didn't know Bella was behind her when she pushed her chair back to stand up. All of Mike and Jessica's teasing stories about how Bella was so clumsy in gym class were put in full display when Bella's foot caught on the leg of Lauren's chair and she went down.

I was convinced that something terrible would happen—her spork would somehow pierce her hand, or the aluminum edge of her soda can would catch her skin. Anything that would have spilled her blood. Angela and Ben, the closest to Bella and, as always, the most kind of our friends, rushed to help her up. I couldn't help but shoot my gaze to the Cullen table.

Rosalie was watching the scene unfold with a smug smirk on her face, and it was obvious Emmett was trying to hold back a laugh. Alice looked concerned, but her hand on Edward's shoulder let me know that her worry lied with Edward and not Bella. Jasper, I knew from one look, was holding his breath. So was I.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked Bella once I was able to make eye contact with her through all of the mess. Angela was hauling her up by the arm.

"Yeah, the only thing that's hurt is my pride." Oh, Bella had jokes now. Knowing none of her blood had been spilled made me sigh in relief. There was a mess on the floor from all the food Bella dropped, but luckily, that was the messiest that it got.

I couldn't smell Bella's blood or feel Edward's thirst, but even I was tired and wanting a nap by the time Spanish class rolled around. Jasper looked even more exhausted than when I had seen him that morning.

He held my hand under our shared table the entire class period while we ran through our exercises. We snuck some of our own conversation into it, though. In my clumsy Spanish, of course, because I didn't want Señora Marquez to catch on.

Jasper's attention kept wandering, understandably, but in addition to that, a brief flash of what I thought might be pain would flicker over his features every now and then. I squeezed his hand to draw his attention back to me.

 _"¿Estás bien?"_ Addressing Jasper outside of our scripted words made him focus. The faraway look slipped from his eyes as he turned to look at me head on, a tiny, unsure smile turning his lips.

 _"Sí, sí, mi señorita."_

 _"Quedarte conmigo."_ Stay with me. That was the only way I knew how to translate and conjugate the words, even though this wording had a heavy romantic context to it. I meant it as in, _stay here. Don't delve into this mess. Stay with me._

He must have understood my meaning, though. One of his big, bright smiles replaced his tiny, unsure one. Jasper lifted my hand, there in the middle of class, and kissed the back of it. _"Me encantaría."_

 _I would love to._

* * *

After my homework was done, I had a new routine of looking up the asylum that Jasper had found online and texting various links to him and Alice. The more…upsetting links I sent to Jasper first, for him to filter through. A lot of the articles and discussion boards I found discussed things like lobotomies, solitary confinement, and shock treatments as 'therapy' for the patients.

I think we were all thankful for this distraction. Our research was slower than necessary, I was sure, but none of us wanted to lose this thing we had to focus on.

Dr. Cullen and Edward, for their part, were looking into my scar. Jasper had told Dr. Cullen about what Peter had to say about it, but he was still puzzled by it. I was a willing participant in their study, if only because it provided them an escape from current events, too.

I sat under Dr. Cullen's bright light at the Cullen's rarely-used kitchen table, letting them study the difference in my skin on my cheek. Jasper would sit close by, listening in.

"It's just so odd, isn't it?" With their advanced sight, Edward didn't even need a magnifying glass or anything. I learned quickly, from these discussions, that Edward had studied medicine alongside Dr. Cullen for years when they were a family of three. "The skin's grafted, just like any other healed wound would be. Wouldn't you think her body would have rejected it?"

"Not necessarily," Dr. Cullen disagreed. "We were all once human, too. Vampires are turned, not truly born. Our human bodies were still the starting point."

Jasper, I knew, was more interested in how the marking was used as strategy rather than its biological effects. There didn't seem to be many biological effects, anyway. I was no stronger or faster than any other average human. I still got sick, I still got injured, my body still took a standard amount of time to heal. The only difference was that tiny, thin, inch-long scar.

An even hotter topic in the Cullen house was how to handle to situation between Bella and Edward. I was there for a few of those talks, though I'm sure a lot more took place when I wasn't there. Rosalie was extremely against the idea of Bella in general.

"She's dangerous to us," Rosalie would say. "And I don't want to move again already. This is my favorite house that Esme's built. Jasper will back me up on this."

Rosalie was all for removing Bella as a factor entirely. And by 'removing', I meant 'killing'. She was passionate enough about this standpoint that she often redirected any conversation towards it.

"Honey, I really don't think—" Esme started, but Rosalie cut her off. I loved Esme, already. Jasper hadn't been exaggerating when he said that Esme didn't let you forget she cared about you.

She always greeted me with hugs and had started keeping snacks in their house for me. Usually, she explained to me, when she went grocery shopping, she turned right around and donated all of the food to shelters as her family had no need for it. The shopping was just another way they tried to blend in with humans.

"Tell them it makes the most sense, Jasper." They might not have really been twins, but she certainly tried to boss him around like they were. I turned to Jasper, raising an eyebrow at him. If he thought Bella should die, it was news to me.

Jasper swallowed hard before speaking. " _If_ it comes to it, then it _might_ be the best option." He conceded quietly. "It removes the temptation for Edward as well as the threat of exposure for all of us."

"Just give in, bro," Emmett said from where he lounged on one of the couches. He was so big that he took up the entire space. "I'm telling you, you'll fell better if you just stop resisting. The world isn't going to end if you have one more human."

 _"Emmett,"_ Esme, Jasper, and Dr. Cullen all scolded at the same time. Suddenly, quite a few pairs of golden eyes were on me.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Maisie, I forgot."

"It's okay." I tried to be a silent witness and nothing more when Rosalie started in on one of these debates.

"Bella's death would weigh on Edward's conscience. Doesn't your brother's moral wellbeing matter? Aside from that, it violates our treaty with the Quileute pack."

I perked up at this. What did Dr. Cullen mean by 'pack'? Beside me, Jasper dipped his head low to whisper to me, "Some of the Quileute are werewolves. Well, shapeshifters, to be more accurate, but they phase into wolves, so we're in the habit of calling them werewolves. It's what they call themselves, as well. Our treaty is simple: As long as none of us kill a human in Forks, there is peace between our family and the tribe."

This was news to me. If any of the Cullens expected this news to shock me, they didn't show it.

"Well," I told Jasper. "All right then. Vampires _and_ werewolves. And I thought New Mexico was wild."

"We don't even really know how much Bella knows," Alice pointed out. "I can't see her very well with all the time she spends with that Quileute boy, and Edward can't read her mind. None of us can very well approach her and ask, either."

"Alice can't see the werewolves, we theorize, because she's never been one. She sees only humans and vampires, because she's been both," Jasper whispered against my ear.

These talks always went in circles, never reaching a resolution that made anyone happy. When something came up that I might not understand, Jasper clarified it to me in whispers. I thought, personally, that everyone was making it more complicated than it needed to be.

Away from his family, I asked Jasper if he really thought that Bella should die. I watched his face fall.

"If it came down to the safety of my family," he reasoned, "then yes. Exposure warrants death, as slowly and painfully as the Volturi pleases."

Even though the idea made my stomach flip, since I was a human, too…I almost couldn't argue with it. I had been willing to shoot a man in the head to protect my family. Though the bullet hadn't killed James, that was still my intention when I fired the gun.

I was nearly in half a mind to ask Bella exactly what she knew myself by the end of two weeks of these discussions. At the same time, I felt like it wasn't my place. If Edward had heard any of these thoughts, he gave me no indication, and I continued being a quiet observer.

Until the Monday before Thanksgiving break, that is.

After the day Rosalie rescued me in the hallway, Bella had never broached the subject of the Cullens being 'dangerous' again. Quite the opposite, she tried to ignore and avoid me as much as possible. Jessica chalked it up to jealousy, drawing from Bella's initial disbelief that Jasper was more to nice to me while Edward snubbed her.

Unfortunately—or, really, _fortunately_ —for her, we were forced together that Monday. Mike had called all of us over to his van to show us his great lunch time idea: sledding. There had been an excess at Newton's Sporting Goods, and Mike had brought what his parents could spare to school.

"The hill behind the gym will be perfect," Mike decided. "Tell your brother, too, Maisie. There's enough for his friends."

"Ugh, I'm so excited!" Jess was bouncing beside me, nearly making me slide on the ice that covered the asphalt of the parking lot. I laughed at her hopping excitement and grabbed onto Ben's arm to keep me study. We were liable to topple like dominoes.

I was excited, too, though. Except for the light moments with Jasper, things had been pretty heavy in my life lately. Sledding down the hill during lunch sounded like a ton of fun.

"Where the hell's Ty, though?" Mike asked, half-turning toward the parking lot behind us. "He's never late."

"I'll bet he slept in," Lauren looked up from the side mirror on Mike's van, where she had been re-applying her lip gloss. "I kept him up pretty late last night."

"You're gross," I told her through all our laughs. Lauren waggled her eyebrows at me. Our fun was by the same boy that Lauren had left sleepless.

Tyler must have really slept in, like Lauren had guessed. He came barreling into the parking lot, skidding along the ice. Why would Forks High bother salting the ice for us? Obviously, students were not that important.

I think he was trying to park in the spot one over from Mike. All of the students with cars had parked with gaps in between, two or three spaces at least. None of us were all that confident with our parking skills on the icy asphalt.

He didn't make it into the parking spot, though. Instead, Ty's tires lost their traction and his car began to slide. The rest of us, like normal people, moved away from Mike's van and out of the parking lot for fear of being hit.

Bella was never like most people in Forks, though. I had already known she was shy and clumsy and looked down her nose at small town life, big city Arizona girl that she was. Now I also knew that she had absolutely no reflexes, as she didn't bother to take one step as Tyler's car fishtailed toward her.

All I could see in my mind in that split second was Bella being crushed, blood everywhere. After all the back-and-forth I heard from the Cullens, I didn't have much faith that either Edward nor Jasper would be able to resist their thirst if Bella went to bleeding all over the place. It was obvious Bella wasn't going to move, and there was no way I was going to risk Jasper and his family being exposed if I could help it.

"Oh, my God," I muttered to myself. Since I was still at the edge of the parking lot, it was easy for me to lean forward and grab Bella's arm. I yanked her, probably harder than I should have, out of the way just a second before she would have caught the back bumper of Tyler's car.

Was it the roaring of the blood in my veins or all of my friends talking at once that I heard? Apologies and questions were being thrown left and right, but I couldn't hardly make out any of the words. I was honestly—and this sounds bad of me—too annoyed at Bella to focus on anything else.

"Thank you," she muttered. If I hadn't been pressed close to her thanks to the growing crowd around us, I probably wouldn't have heard her. Bella didn't bother to meet my eye.

 _That_ was part of my annoyance, how she refused to look at me whatsoever. I nearly snapped at her. I would have liked to, but that wouldn't have helped anything, and besides, Gunner's hand had entered the fray and pulled me away from the crowd. That left Bella alone with all the attention, which was sure she was hating.

 _Good,_ I thought to myself.

"Dammit, Maisie," Gunner was saying. "Can't we go a month without something happening with you?"

"It's not my fault Bella Swan is too stupid to move out of the way of a car," I snapped at my brother rather than Bella. Gunner gave me a look and then flicked me on the nose, which he knew I hated. I tried to smack his hand away, but I missed, making him laugh.

There were only so many times someone could save Bella, though. It was becoming obvious that's what this girl needed, or a bubble. Something to keep her from getting hurt all the time.

"Hey, I was supposed to invite you and your friends to go sledding at lunch, but since Tyler and Mike's cars are kind of attached at the bumper now, I doubt we'll go." Tyler's car had turned a full circle, so that his back end collided with the front of Mike's vans. Luckily for all of us small town kids, no one but the Cullens had truly new cars, so there was almost no visible damage aside from the bumpers being stuck together.

"Aw, man. What a killjoy Officer Swan's kid is."

What a killjoy indeed, Gunner.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi, my loves! If you couldn't tell, I'm trying to delay addressing what exactly I want to do with Bella in this story. I have so much of it planned out, but I'm torn between having her with Edward (which would mean having to include her in more scenes...ew. I think you can tell from how Maisie thinks of Bella that I don't like her much either!) or having her with Jacob. Decisions, decisions...


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

**-Chapter Twenty-Four-**

* * *

The more his family argued, the more Jasper wanted to stab his eyes out.

Rose was mad, but that really wasn't anything new. Specifically, she was mad that Maisie had acted quickly and pulled Bella Swan out of the grip of what surely would have been the girl's death.

"She should have just let the girl die!" Rosalie was truly on one of her tirades. When Emmett tried to catch her wrist, to calm her down, she flung herself away from him. "There would have been so much chaos, nobody would have noticed if Edward and Jasper left!"

"That's exactly why Maisie _didn't_ want Bella to get caught between two cars and start bleeding everywhere." Jasper pointed out. This was different for Rosalie, too: usually, the two of them agreed on things more often than not.

They really weren't so unlike one another, Jasper had to admit. There was a reason that he and Rosalie so easily passed for twins, and it went farther than their shared golden hair. He tried to push calmness onto his sister, but with a withering look and a flare of her anger, Rose threw it back at him.

"Who is to say, Rosalie, that we would have left? Jasper's come a long way, but he also hasn't been around fresh blood in _years._ And I've _never_ encountered blood that called to me the way the Swan girl's blood does."

"Emmett could have stopped you!"

From the couch, Emmett snorted. "Okay, sure, I could stop _Edward_ , maybe. Jazzy has always been able to kick my ass, and you know that, babe."

"You think a fight breaking out between three brothers _wouldn't_ draw attention?" Alice chimed in. "Especially when those brothers were snarling and hissing and growling at each other? When those brothers were acting like _vampires?_ "

"Aside from that, if Bella Swan _had_ been pinned between those two cars, it would have been horrific, Kitty. She would have been shorn in half, likely, and most probably wouldn't have died immediately." Carlisle's logic only made Rosalie madder. "The girl would have been lying on the ground, suffering."

"Do you think _I care_ if a human suffers if our secret is safe?!"

"Rosalie!" It was rare that Carlisle raised his voice. Even rarer was Carlisle exercising his position as leader of their family and coven. "That's _enough!_ "

That was enough to shock Rose into stewing silence. Edward pinched the bridge of his nose, his facial expression mirroring the frustration roiling inside him. Emmett barely spared Carlisle a glance; he had never been one to go against the current, preferring to literally go with the flow.

Alice shrank beside him. She hated fighting. Jasper was thankful that Esme wasn't there to witness it; she was in Port Angeles, donating a portion of Alice's wardrobe she had decided to reject.

"If this girl happens to die of her own accord, then so be it. We will leave that to fate. The same thing for Edward's thirst. While I have complete faith in you, Edward, and I know you can abstain, if it becomes too much, _so be it_. We are not going to pressure anyone to commit a deed they don't want to, whether they be a vampire _or_ a human. We will not intervene unless Alice sees something or Edward hears something that would warrant it."

Never mind that Alice could hardly see anything around the Quileute wolves.

In the quiet that ensued, Jasper took the opportunity to blanket all of them in calm. Rosalie didn't push it away this time. Carlisle nodded his thanks.

"Can I just ask one question?" Edward looked up through his hair, which had fallen in his face when he bowed his head. He looked very much like the seventeen-year-old kid he was when he was turned. "For the school breaks, could we go to Alaska? For a reprieve?"

There was Emmett's snort again, quieter this time. He pulled Rosalie down to sit beside him, so he could whisper to her. "Reprieve, my ass."

* * *

"Alaska, huh? What do vampires do for Thanksgiving, anyway?" Maisie's joking questions made Jasper's mood shift. All the fighting the evening before had left him stiff, wired. He almost wished he could have slept the night before, just to escape it.

"Oh, I don't know. Emmett always finds things for us to do in Alaska. There's not as many people, so we can get away with all of his plans to act like fools."

He had told Maisie some stories of Emmett's schemes—racing across thin ice to see who would fall in the water first, for example.

"I would tell you not to get hurt, but _I'm_ the breakable one, as you like to remind me."

Maisie never used the word 'vampire' unless they were with his family or alone—like they were that Friday night. She was still wearing the makeup she had put on to go to Port Angeles with her friends, but she had changed her clothes to pajamas. Now, the two of them were folded into Maisie's window seat, as they often were when Jasper snuck in to spend time with her.

"You _are_ breakable. What is it your friend told me the other day? _Be ready for her to be covered in scrapes and bruises when softball starts._ "

" _Not_ because I'm clumsy, though! I just get really…into it." Jessica Stanley had phrased it a little differently. She had shared that Maisie wasn't afraid to get hurt in the name of winning the game. Sliding to take a base, taking a ball to get a walk if it meant advancing the Forks High Spartan softball team on the scoreboard.

Jasper hadn't yet shown Maisie how they played softball—conflicting weather, since they needed the thunder—but he had a sneaking suspicion she would love it.

 _The first thunderstorm available,_ Jasper decided. _It'll be good for everyone._

"When are y'all leaving?" Maisie asked him, shifting to settle herself as closely to Jasper as she could manage in the little seat. "And are y'all taking a plane or being adventurers?"

She was teasing, because Edward had taken it upon himself to come back from Alaska just weeks prior on foot.

"Tomorrow morning. We're flying like civilized people, thank you very much. Carlisle's not going with us; he couldn't get time off on such short notice."

"Oh, I thought y'all had been planning to go. Didn't you say y'all have family there?"

Family. Yes, Irina, Kate, Carmen and Eleazer—they were all solidly cemented as their cousins, for _all_ of the Cullens. Tanya, on the other hand, had become something…different for Edward in recent months.

"We do. Edward wanted to go, though, to get away from Forks for a week." His words made Maisie's face cloud over, part worry and annoyance that reflected in her moods. Worry for Edward; annoyance for Bella.

"Will he be okay?" Her voice was softer even than the whisper she typically used when he was in her room at night, even though Honeybun the dog was the only one around to listen. The worry in Maisie's eyes had turned them soft, too.

Jasper tipped his head down and kissed her. He hated to see her upset over anything. "He'll be fine. Edward's stronger than he gives himself credit for. Even with his 'rebellious phase', as Esme calls it, where Edward was targeting and doing away with criminal humans, his self-control is second only to Carlisle's and Rose's. If he had weaker control, Bella would already be dead."

"And Alice? Are her visions any clearer?" All the searching and trying to see through fog left Alice exhausted, with her head hurting. Jasper didn't share that, though; he knew how much Alice was frustrated with herself about being unable to use her powers.

"She's annoyed more than anything." That was still the truth. "But she's pretty sure she's pieced together as much of her human life as she can. When she gets it all set straight in a timeline, she's excited to share it with you."

That made Maisie smile at least, right before she yawned. Her pre-season softball workouts had started and getting back into the swing of it was tiring for her.

"One day maybe I'll be able to stay awake longer than an hour when you come over." Jasper kissed her forehead and began to extricate himself from the tangle of limbs.

"Seems pretty time consuming, this whole sleeping thing."

"I don't know, it is like eight hours of being unconscious." Maisie let him lift her from the window seat, crossing the room with her in his arms to lay her in bed.

"Have fun in Alaska," she told him sleepily. Jasper leaned down and kissed her softly on the mouth.

"Have fun in Oregon." The Thompson family, he knew, would be travelling as well, to Maisie's aunt and uncle's house. Maisie settled into her bed, pulling her covers up under her chin.

"Have you ever been to Oregon?" She asked, her eyes already drifting shut. Jasper ran his fingers softly through her hair.

"No, I can't say I have."

"Then I'll disregard your last statement." He tried not to laugh, so he wouldn't run the risk of alerting any of her family members that he was there. Instead, Jasper kissed her one more time, softly on the cheek, before giving Honeybun a quick pat on the head and ducking through Maisie's window.

* * *

If he were being honest, Jasper loved Alaska. The population was so low that the scent of human blood had no chance of overshadowing the clean, crisp cold air and snow. Life, for him, was always easier in Alaska.

It seemed, to himself and Emmett, that the same was now true for Edward.

"That's why he _really_ wanted to come. Think it's serious?" They were sitting in a snow drift, waiting for Alice and Rosalie so they could go snowboarding. _Why_ the girls needed makeup and accessories was beyond Jasper; they had planned the afternoon to avoid humans, so they could do whatever they wanted on their boards without drawing attention.

"Doubt it," Jasper whispered back to him. "Edward's known her longer than any of us and nothing's ever happened until now. It feels like infatuation."

What was happening, before their very eyes, was Edward mooning over Tanya while she ice skated across the Denali Coven's private lake in their back yard.

Emmett rolled his eyes—nearly black; he hadn't bothered to feed before they came, and they were already three days into the Thanksgiving break. He tugged his beanie down further over his ears. Though the cold hardly affected them, Emmett still hated the chill.

"It's like a rebound, but we both know he's never even _touched_ the Swan girl. He won't dare. He doesn't want to lose control. Jazz, seriously, it would be so much easier if he just gave in."

"There hasn't been enough time, Em." He meant between James, Victoria, and Laurent's feasting in the general area and now. "Not that it wouldn't be believable that the clumsy girl could die in a freak accident, if Edward framed it right."

If Edward was listening to them at all, he gave no indication. His eyes were glued to Tanya.

The girls were taking forever. Carmen had taken Esme with her into the tiny little town, to do some shopping. Carlisle, Eleazer, and Laurent—who had apparently paired off with Irina since the Cullens had last met him—were holding a roundtable discussion of sorts, talking about vampire lore. Even they sometimes had blank spots about their own kind, such as with Maisie's scar.

"I'm giving them five more minutes, and if Ali and Rose aren't out here by then, we're leaving them, bro. I can't take watching Edward watch Tanya for longer than that."

"Rose will have your head if you leave her," Jasper pointed out. Emmett only shrugged.

"I'll just take her for a tumble in the snow and all will be forgiven." If he had the ability, Jasper was sure he would be blushing.

Luckily, that 'tumble in the snow' was something that Jasper would at least get to pretend that it didn't happen, because Alice and Rosalie came sauntering from the house just seconds later.

"They're disgusting," Rosalie tossed over her shoulder, surely loud enough for Edward to hear. He still gave no indication that he heard. "Let's go before I go crazy."

"You think you're gonna go crazy, babe? We've been watching them _forever_ so you could have curled hair to go snowboarding."

"Forever?" Alice asked, extending a hand to help Jasper up.

"Time is a made-up construct," Emmett defended himself. "If I said it was forever, then it could have been."

Rosalie was already strolling away from them. She had left her board in the snow at Emmett's feet, for him to carry for her. Obediently, Emmett picked it up and started to trail after her.

"And Rose said Edward and Tanya were disgusting," Alice rolled her big eyes so hard that it was a wonder they didn't disappear. Jasper laughed and threw his arm around her shoulder. "Thanks for not being disgusting with Maisie."

"I think she'd risk breaking her hand to punch me if I tried."

* * *

 **A/N:** This is pretty filler-y, I KNOW, and I apologize, but I had to figure out what to do with Edward and Bella, and that changes a lot of the story depending on their roles. So, basically, I'm trying to honor everyone's wishes and get rid of Bella while also getting Edward some ;). Will he stay with Tanya? I don't know! But for now she'll be a nice distraction for him, at least.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five

**-Chapter Twenty-Five-**

* * *

In the two and a half weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas break, I was certain I would die on no less than three occasions.

The first time came during English class on a Wednesday. Jessica leaned over in her seat in the middle of silent reading.

"Maisie!" She whisper-shouted. "Did you know we have a scrimmage today?!"

"What?!" I whisper-shouted back. "There's no way. The season hasn't even started, and the freshman girls aren't ready."

Jessica pulled a text up on her phone to show me. It was from Lara Marin, a senior and the varsity softball team captain. I was sure I had the same text on my own phone and, sure enough, Lara's text said we had a scrimmage against Friday Harbor.

"At least it's a home scrimmage," I mumbled through my groan. "I didn't bring my uniform."

I didn't have my uniform, and I didn't want to play a scrimmage. Cassidy Williams, a freshman new to the team, had a great habit of forgetting to bring her glove to practice. I wasn't sure if she was forgetful or if she thought she was cute, but every time she forgot her glove, we had to run bases forever before we could start practice. My legs were so sore that I could hardly stand it.

While we were whispering, I forgot that Alice was also in our class. So, of course she heard me say that I didn't have my uniform with me. While I was internally freaking out about how I would get my uniform in time for a scrimmage that was taking place immediately after school, Alice must have told Jasper. And I'm sure he was could feel how stressed out I was about it, too, because _I_ didn't want to be the reason we ran endless bases at our next practice after giving Cassidy Williams so much flack.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when Jasper, ever considerate even before things changed between us, appeared with my uniform and cleats after my next class.

"Did you break into my house to get this?" I asked him, quietly, so no one would hear me above the buzz in the hallway. His bashful smile in response told me all I needed to know. "Bless."

I bounced onto my tiptoes and kissed his cheek as a way of saying thank you. Jasper zipped my uniform into my backpack for me before walking me to class.

"Pray I survive," I told him.

"Oh, you'll be fine," he reassured me as we made our way through the hallways.

"You mean your legs don't hurt? Because mine make me want to die." This made Jasper chuckle.

"No, I can feel that, trust me."

"I'm going to superglue Cassidy William's glove to her hand if she forgets it one more time. My legs can't take it."

I survived the scrimmage, of course, despite my dramatics. That didn't stop me from taking it a step further and theatrically falling to the living room floor when I got home.

"You better not have any dirt on you," my mom said, stepping over my back.

"Don't worry, the field was so muddy we had no chance of trying to slide. We would've drowned in quicksand instead."

Gunner tapped my leg with his foot when he walked by. He knew how sore I was. I grabbed his leg, pulling to make him stumble. "Excuse me, sir, it's rude to kick people who are down."

"No one told you to play softball. This situation is your own making."

Climbing the stairs to take a shower before dinner was killer. I was so excited, though, to get out of my uniform and change into leggings and a t-shirt. Even though the muscles in my legs were protesting constantly, no, the scrimmage did not kill me.

Neither did our Spanish presentation mid-term, which was the second time I thought I might die. I was more than certain that I only got through it because Jasper pumped me full of confidence before we presented. Even so, I felt like I stumbled, red-face, through the whole thing and I have since blocked it from my memory.

No, what really almost did me in, almost did all of us in, involved Bella Swan. Again.

Between third and fourth period on the last Friday before break, Jasper and I walked out of the hall to a snowball fight going on in the yard between the halls. The snow had come down heavy the night before, thankfully halting any other surprise scrimmages that Coach might have had for us.

"Don' you dare," I warned Jasper, even as I was laughing at Gunner trying desperately to get away from Lauren and her accurate hits. She wasn't our pitcher for nothing. I guess Gunner hadn't been able to resist temptation and must have thrown some snow at her.

"I'll be your shield," he promised instead, ducking slightly to miss a snowball lobbed at him by Emmett. He and Alice were caught up in the fun, too, even if Rosalie was looking on disdainfully and Edward was looking all around nervously. He was always nervous, now that Bella had moved to Forks. I felt bad for him.

I had to cut Bella a little bit of slack. She didn't technically do anything. It was just another point in her misfortune to always be in the wrong place in the wrong time. Eric Yorkie, who I had never liked, was truly to blame. He must have gotten it in his head that it would be funny to throw a pinecone from one of the nearby trees instead of a snowball. Did Eric secretly have a great arm, or was Bella just delicate? I don't know.

What I do know is, while Bella was trying miserably to use her binder to shield herself from the snowballs, she didn't notice she was in the way of Eric's pinecone. It hit her on the back of her head; even I could hear the _crack!_ it made against her skull.

There was no way that she wasn't bleeding. Not with the way the pinecone had hit her, and the way Bella had cried out. I turned to Jasper immediately, trying to stay calm—though I failed, I could feel my heart thumping against my ribcage—for his benefit.

His face looked paler, eyes closed, jaw clenched tight.

"Don't breathe," I told him softly, ignoring all the commotion going on around us as others rushed to Bella. Jasper shook his head; he was already holding his breath.

"Do you need to go?" The faintest of nods. He wasn't proud of it. "Go now. Nobody's paying attention."

Jasper was gone almost before I finished my sentence. I let out a breath of my own, which I hadn't realized I was holding. When I looked over to where the rest of the Cullens had been, Edward was missing.

From the rigid way that Rosalie, Emmett, and Alice were standing, I knew they were also holding their breath. A few yards away, Angela had her arm around Bella, leading her to the nurse, I was sure. I could see that her hair was wet and matted together with blood from the cut left by the pinecone. Seeking Alice's gaze, I quirked an eyebrow, and unspoken question: _are y'all going to be okay?_

She nodded back to me in understanding. I don't think the other three would dare to leave even if they didn't feel good. With Jasper and Edward already cutting class, part of their efforts at discretion were already blown. I was sure they would both be getting an earful from Rosalie later.

Jasper came back after lunch, but Edward did not. He told the office a little white lie: that Edward had gotten sick, so he had taken him home. Of course, Jasper got off scotch-free, with the help of his mood manipulating gift.

"Is he okay?" I asked Jasper during Spanish class.

"Shaken, but fine. Bolstered a little, actually, since he was able to resist. He's counting it as a win. I left him in his room, blaring his classical music. Which, let me tell you, I didn't know was possible until I met Edward." He always talked more when he himself was nervous.

"Nobody noticed," I told him before the bell could ring. "And if they did, they'd believe Edward was sick, trust me. The way he's been so on edge definitely lends itself to the lie."

He nodded once. I reached under our table and squeezed his hand. I didn't dare ask the burning questions I had, not here, not where someone could overhear. I saved those for later—Jasper and I had after school plans, to read Peter and Charlotte's letters he had recently received.

We actually went to the library to read them, under the guise of doing homework together. Really, we chose that place for it's silence, for the fact that we could tuck ourselves away in some corner and whisper without being suspicious and also having privacy.

By privacy, I meant from other people and Jasper's family, as well. "Rose is already in a miserable mood, she doesn't need anything else to be upset about."

I wasn't sure why Rosalie would be mad about his letters from his friends, especially since they were helping to answer questions and those answers would benefit everybody. But I was quickly learning that Rosalie's violent mood swings were a common occurrence.

In our little corner, we read the letter. Peter, like Jasper, had beautiful curving handwriting:

 _Jasper,_

 _You were right to assume that Maisie's little scar had much to do with numbers. It's an insurance policy of sorts, as you said. There is no rhyme or reason to it. Humans are chosen to be marked for no other reason than happenstance._

 _We have asked around—and by we, you know I mean Charlotte. She's more charming than I could ever be. She's found a wealth of information that I think will interest both you and Carlisle. We weren't far from the mark when we theorized that the venom was deposited into the cut._

 _Maria's kiss was theatrics, I figure. That's no surprise, though, is it? She's always flirted dangerously close with revealing our kind. The venom was already in Maisie's blood before Maria kissed her. See, the marking works like this: Venom is placed on the fingernail by placing the finger in one's own mouth. The nearly-dry venom is not so potent—watered-down, in a way. Add that to the fact that the cut made by the fingernail is shallow, the venom has no chance of fully penetrating the bloodstream._

 _When the cut heals, it is with a vampire's skin, as we have all seen on Maisie's cheek. What venom is able to worm its way in stays in the blood, as we have smelled, affecting no changes as it is such a miniscule amount._

 _With how quick we are able to move, Maisie certainly missed the moment where Maria coated her fingernail in venom. That is why it is missing from her recounting of the tale._

 _The marking has more to do with the blood, as I'm sure you've guessed. As Maisie carries Maria's scent with her, she as definitively marked as 'hers'. Were Maisie to be in the ghost towns the armies favor, any opposing leader would know that she was a human marked by Maria. This makes her a target, for them, as I'm sure you know._

 _We were always in the habit of destroying each other's things in the Southern Armies, weren't we?_

 _I would venture to guess that Maisie will be safe in the Northern states. We must hope the armies control themselves, though, and do not draw the attention of the Volturi. I don't have to remind you of their relentlessness. There is no doubt that they would scour the states until they found and disposed of all marked humans._

 _I hope this is helpful to you in some way, brother. Charlotte sends her love. Tell Maisie 'hello' from us._

 _-Peter_

"Man," I whispered. "I'm not even special. Wrong place, wrong time. Might as well start calling me Bella Swan."

Jasper covered his mouth with his hand, muffling his laugh at my joke. "Stop that. This is wonderful news, for you. It means you are almost definitely safe."

I underlined Peter's words about the Volturi with my finger. "You don't think any of that will happen? Your overlords won't swoop in any time soon?"

"I would doubt it. They only intervened when the armies grew so large that they were hopelessly terrible at keeping themselves hidden."

"How do you know they aren't that big now?"

Jasper smiled. "This isn't the first time Peter and I have kept an eye on them. It's for our own preservation as well. We left decades ago, but we could still be found guilty by association."

I nodded. It made sense.

"And we'll keep our surveillance up, especially now that you and other innocent people are caught up in the Southern armies' mess."

A sudden chill of fear ran through me, making me shiver despite my sweater. "What if Peter's wrong, though? What if there is some kind of 'rhyme or reason'? What if she does come for me, one day?"

Jasper drew me closer to me. I settled my head against his chest, his long-sleeve t-shirt soft against my cheek.

"Maisie," he said softly, though his voice sounded thick in his throat. "I will _never_ let any harm come to you."

* * *

 **A/N:** Back to our regularly scheduled programming of plot progression! I am sorry if it seems slow (sometimes _I_ feel like it's slow, so I can understand if it does for y'all, too!), but this story primarily takes place over the course of about two years, and there is a lot to get through in that time. Which is why all of this has taken course over the span of just a few months! I hope this doesn't become tedious for y'all, because I have a lot of things planned

This story now has over ONE HUNDRED reviews, which is MIND BLOWING! From the bottom of my heart, **thank you** for all of this support! It makes my heart so happy. I am going to try to put out as many chapters as I can in the next few weeks, before the fall grad school semester begins and I go back to work in August!


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six

**-Chapter Twenty-Six-**

* * *

Alice's story, when she was ready to tell me, was heartbreaking. News was different back in the day; it was nothing for gossip from social circles to make the front page. She was able to put together far more than I thought possible with the microfiche at the Forks Library.

"I was born in 1901, in Biloxi, Mississippi," she began, handing me a print-out of the announcement of her birth in the paper. _Mr. and Mrs. Brandon welcome the birth of their first child, Mary Alice Brandon on April 3rd, 1901._ "There was enough for me to piece together, especially with the research you and Jasper did."

She passed me another piece of paper, much like the first, but this one announcing the birth of Cynthia Astoria Brandon in 1903. "Your sister?"

Her sad nod served as confirmation. "I cheated a little. I used Carlisle's credentials to get a records release from the old asylum's archives, for 'research', of course. I just didn't bother to specify that it was personal research."

While I scanned the documents, which confirmed the things Jasper and I had found—shock treatments, frequently—Alice continued her story.

"It's kind of funny. Edward and I were born in the same year, but the Spanish Influenza tried to take him two years before I was turned. We could have met, encountered each other, in our human lives, and never known we would end up as brother and sister in this life."

I was happy to see that the shock treatments were the only thing listed in Alice's old file. That's weird to say, but Jasper and I had seen so many other horrifying procedures these poor people were subjected to.

"You must have had visions as a human, too, then." Alice had come to my house to show me all of this. I was more or less home alone, except for Ava, who I was babysitting. We were in the living room, with Ava only a room away, eating animal crackers and coloring at the kitchen table.

"That's what I deduced. There would be no other reason for me to be committed to an asylum, as far as I could tell." She shifted through her little manila folder. "Look at this. My niece. She's still alive in Mississippi."

Alice handed me an old photograph of a pretty, young woman. It was in black-and-white, marking its own age. Surely the woman in the photo was older now. Still, I held the photo up, next to Alice's face. You could see the resemblance in their wide eyes and long, dark lashes; in their pert little noses and heart-shaped faces.

"Y'all look alike," I told her, which made Alice smile radiantly.

"We're going to see her, kind of. Edward and me, during the Christmas break. I want to see things, since I can't remember any of it. Take a peek at my niece, at Biloxi, see if the old house is still there, the asylum."

"I think that will be good for you," I told her honestly. I really did think it would help her to feel more grounded in herself. Alice smiled again and threw herself forward to hug me.

"I'm so glad we're friends now," she told me. "You've always been one of my favorite humans here."

Ava came prancing into the living room, her empty bowl in her hand, as Alice was packing her 'personal research' into her purse. She passed the bowl to me and started cartwheeling away.

"Are you done, or did you want more?" I called.

"Done!" Ava yelled back.

"She was literally sitting in the kitchen and brought me the bowl instead of putting it in the sink." I mumbled, making Alice laugh. "She's such a hot mess."

I bought Gunner a ukulele, for his sixteenth birthday. A tradition existed between Gunner and I: we would ask the other what they wanted for their birthday, and we would say the first thing that popped into our heads. That year, it was a ukulele, for who knows what reason.

Luckily, Edward was able to recommend a music shop in Port Angeles for me. I knew next to nothing about music, and neither did Gunner. I blamed the Twenty-One Pilots kick he had been on for the ukulele.

Alice and Edward set out for Mississippi as soon as school let out, opting for a road trip. I'm sure it would be another 'reprieve' for Edward. The rest of the Cullen family stayed in Forks. I went to the Cullen house at Esme's insistence to see the decorations Rosalie had put up.

"Like that tree?" Emmett asked, nodding to the behemoth, glittering from top to bottom with Rosalie's decorations. "Cut it down and carried it back myself."

It was real pine, and it smelled just like Christmas in the house between the tree, poinsettia, and the sprigs of holly and cinnamon dotted everywhere. Rosalie had gone all out with her decorating, and with the back wall of windows in their house showcasing the snowy landscape outside, the whole house looked like a magazine layout.

Even Edward's grand piano had not escaped Rosalie's decorating; the top donned a lacy doily, topped with a little, golden candelabra and surrounded by pine branches and winter berries.

The break, and the holiday, came and went with long days of family tradition, colored from our time in New Mexico. Gunner and I probably drank our weights in the hot chocolate of our childhood, made with Mexican chocolate and sprinkled with cinnamon. We loved it, but Ava had no taste for it. I made biscochitos, and Ava cut the dough into stars and crescent moons.

Gunner and I did our good big sibling duties and made sure that we watched with rapt attention while Ava went through her stocking from Santa.

Jasper and I had not been together long, but I guess those Southern manners really were quite strong. I got a present from him anyway. Come Christmas, I was the proud new owner of a rose gold bracelet. It was solid, not a chain, but still dainty; the outside was dotted with alternating clear and dark pink stones. The inside was engraved: _for my brave girl._

I tried desperately not to think about how much the bracelet could have cost Jasper. Never mind that I knew well that the Cullens had money.

"I'll wear it every day," I promised, partially because I loved it, and partially because I wanted it's use to justify it's cost. It shimmered along my wrist when Jasper clasped it for me.

I felt my gift for Jasper paled in comparison, at least in cost. I knew it was meaningful in thought, at least, because a portion of it featured _him_.

Jasper had once told me that his birth name, the one he had given to enlist in the Confederate Army, had been Jasper Whitlock. Hale was Rosalie's married name, which they now shared to pass for twins.

Using the same Internet navigating skills I had used to help Alice piece together her human life, I had dug up a very old book about prominent names from the Confederate ranks. This one in particular included a chapter on a certain Major Jasper Whitlock, who the book called 'young and bold', praising his strategy planning and bravery. He was credited as an 'unknown', meaning his death was undocumented.

"Don't let it go to your head, okay?" I told him when I handed the book over to him, with the section about him bookmarked. First his eyebrows knit together, and then he smiled, and then he laughed.

"I have to admit, I've never seen my name in print before."

" _That's_ why I told you not to let it go to your head!"

"I don't know," Jasper murmured, flipping through the pages dedicated to him. "I think I'll brag about this at least a little bit. Emmett and Edward certainly don't have _their_ names in books."

It made me feel like I was full-up with sunshine to know that Jasper loved the gift. He said he did, anyway, and the kiss he gave me after certainly seemed to back up his words.

* * *

Softball _really_ picked up after Christmas break, at least our practices. Our first game wasn't until March, but we had a freshman-heavy varsity team that year. A lot of our team members had graduated last June, leaving plenty of open spots on the team. Coach Faith called for more frequent practices, to get the new girls up to varsity speed.

"This is really cutting into my time trying to get Mike's head out of his ass," Jessica complained while we did stretches one afternoon. While snow was on the ground, we had to make do with indoor practices in the old back gym. It was just as big as the new gym, but since it was hardly used, nobody cared if our hits dented the wall a time or two.

"Why don't you just tell him you like him?" I asked, folding myself over my legs to stretch them and my back. "You know—be upfront about it."

"You really think that's going to work with him still trying to get Bella's attention? Never mind that she follows that Jacob Black guy around like a little lost puppy. I don't know _how_ —he's two years younger than us."

"You know, there are these things called _friends,_ " Lauren peeked up from her toe-touches. I guess it hadn't occurred to her, from Mike's previously constant attention, that someone might want to _date_ Bella. Though Mike had cooled considerably between Bella's increased time spent with Jacob Black and Jessica's glares.

We didn't get a chance to continue this debate about Mike's continued misbehavior (at least in Jess' eyes), because Coach Faith blew her whistle. Not far from her was Cassidy. At least the girl had the good graces to look embarrassed.

"No," we all pleaded.

"She's gonna make us run suicide drills," I whisper-groaned. Coach Faith had launched into one of her _if one fails, we all fail_ lectures before doling out our punishment.

"I'll walk out." Lauren's voice was fierce, but I knew she was all talk. There was no way she would give up her pitching position.

"None of us are going to walk out of this," Jess' eyes blazed as she stared Cassidy down.

We ran suicide drills until there were no girls left standing. My legs were shaking so much that I could barely stand to go through catching drills with Jessica. Even though a few yards separated us, I could see she was having just as hard of a time. When practice was finally over, we all collapsed where we stood.

"I can't take it," I whispered to Lauren. Our heads had ended up close together when we laid down. "Why doesn't Coach Faith say anything? Or Lara?"

Lara Marin was a senior, and our team captain and first baseman.

"I think we're all just collectively hoping she'll quit."

"We're all going to end up with shin splints before that ever happens."

I tried to will my bag closer to me, so I could get my phone out to text Jasper, but, alas, I was not telekinetic. Groaning, I rolled from my back to my stomach and pushed myself up. My legs were not on board with this and protested with burning muscles. I'm sure we all looked like old women, shuffling around the gym to try to get our stuff.

Gunner's sixteenth birthday had come and gone, and he had gotten his full license as soon as he could. I had let him take my car after school, since I had practice. Which is why I needed to text Jasper, so I could have a ride home. I already wanted to cry thinking about swinging my leg over his motorcycle.

"Maisie!" Lauren yelled across the gym while I typed a message to Jasper.

"Yeah?"

"You're coming to Port Angeles with us on Friday night, right?"

"Yes!"

I watched Lauren turn to Jessica. "See, I told you!"

Then, back to me. "Jess didn't want to go if you weren't because Angela invited Bella!"

I, myself, had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. There hadn't been one second where I had to interact with Bella since the incident in the parking lot, and I preferred it that way.

"I'll save you, Jess!" I pulled my sweats over the shorts I had practiced in and pulled a hoodie over my t-shirt, preparing for the cold. Swinging my bag over my shoulder, I shuffled out of the gym before I had to think more about spending my Friday night with Bella.

When I met Jasper outside, he took my heavy bag from me. It was only early evening, but already dark outside.

"How was practice?" He asked, but I could see from the amusement in his eyes that he already knew.

"I'll punch myself in my own leg just so you'll feel it, too," I whisper-threatened him, but that only made Jasper laugh. He led me to my own car, which made me breathe a sigh of relief that he hadn't brought his motorcycle.

"Bless you," I told him when he opened the passenger door for me. I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes, letting my aching legs rest.

"Weren't you just threatening self-harm to get to me?" There was mirth in his voice. I only shrugged in response. A moment later, I felt Jasper's lips on mine, kissing me sweetly. It was a long and slow kiss, making my head spin by the time it was over.

"What was that for?" I asked afterward, surprised by the breathy quality my voice had taken.

"For being you." Jasper's words were simple, yet the warmth that flooded me afterward let me know the meaning behind them were anything but.

* * *

Jessica insisted on sitting in the front seat with Lauren on our ride to Port Angeles. That left me, Angela, and Bella in the back seat. As usual, since I was the shortest, I got stuck in the middle, with Bella on my right and Angela on my left.

If it made Bella uncomfortable to be so close to me, she didn't let on. It was hard to read her in the dark of the car. She was characteristically quiet, but her emotions always played out across her face. Just then, though, I was only able to get quick glimpses from the fleeting light afforded by streetlamps.

On the other hand, Jessica made no attempts to hide how unsettled and annoyed she was, and it was showing itself in her verbal stream of conscience in the front seat. I was only half-listening to Jess; recently I had taught Emmett what memes were, and now he texted them to me regularly. _Old-school Carlisle,_ his new text said, with an illustration of an old-fashioned doctor and patient underneath. The text on the picture read: _Being an old-timey doctor would rule, just drunk as hell like, "yeah u got ghosts in your blood, you should do cocaine about it"._

I knew from Alice that Emmett also sent the memes to Edward, in attempts to lift his spirits. He had practically become a recluse even from his family, preferring to hole himself in his room and only hunting with Carlisle.

"Just say his name really loud and she'll start paying attention again," I heard Jessica mumble to Lauren from the front seat.

"Whose name? Oh, you mean _Jasper Hale?"_

Bella jumped, just barely, at the sound of Jasper's name.

"Y'all are hilarious," I told them, peeking up from the stream of laughing emojis I was sending to Emmett. "So funny. Let's get y'all on stage doing standup."

On the other side of me, Angela giggled. "Don't fight, children."

"Excuse me, I'm being attacked!" I was laughing, too, though. The only quiet one in the car was Bella, which didn't escape Lauren's notice.

"Bella," Lauren said, her pretty cornflower blue eyes sparkling with mischief in the rearview mirror. "Now that you've been in Forks for a few months, tell us what you think about it."

"It's alright," Bella said softly. "The weather is hard to get used to. Most everyone here is nice, though."

"Things are no better with Edward, then, I take it," Angela jumped in before Lauren could lay into Bella. Even in the dark, I could see the way Bella's face flushed with color.

"No," she said simply, but she leveled her gaze at me. I lifted a shoulder in a shrug.

"He keeps to himself," I tried not to let my voice sound combative, confrontational. "But Jasper says Edward's been having a hard time in general. I wouldn't take it personally."

"I bet it is hard, all of them being adopted. I wonder if that has something to do with it," Angela mused in that kind way of hers.

"Maybe," Bella grumbled her consent.

"I sure wouldn't be complaining if I got adopted by Dr. and Mrs. Cullen. They're _loaded_ , after all."

Technically, Jess wasn't wrong. The Cullens did have a lot of money, but who wouldn't when they had been around as long as the Cullens had? Not to mention that both Carlisle and Esme had chosen lucrative careers—medicine and architecture. But only I knew how much of that money was donated to various charities and organizations, which was _a lot._

Our plans in Port Angeles primarily involved going to dinner at an Italian place that Lauren loved and watching a romance movie that Angela had been wanting to see. There was a moment, though, where Jessica apparently desperately needed more concealer that she had been unable to find. She made Lauren stop at a Walgreens, and both Lauren and Angela went in with Jessica, leaving me alone in the car with Bella.

I very easily could have gotten out with my friends, but I profess to being a brat. I wanted to see what Bella would say if we were alone, since we hadn't been since she cornered me in the hallway that day.

I was not disappointed.

"You can't tell me they aren't different." Bella's voice, as always, was soft. Now, though, it held a hint of challenge in it.

"You're right." I could hear her sharp inhale at my words, but I didn't bother to meet her gaze. "They're exceptionally great people, so I guess that does make them kind of different."

"They're _dazzling_. Nobody else here looks like that, besides the Cullens. I've seen Edward's eyes change colors. First they were black, now they're always a golden color. And I've been studying the others, too. Rosalie's eyes do the same thing."

Oh, Rosalie. I knew from Jasper that his sister liked to flaunt her self-control by going long periods of time without feeding. I made a note to myself to tell her that Bella had noticed.

"You've only seen them in harsh fluorescent school lights," I pointed out, trying to cover her suspicions with logic. "It's probably just a trick of the lights. Your eyes look darker in the school lights than they do in natural light, too."

"What natural light?! It's almost always raining here. That's a perfect cover."

I was regretting my choices by now. Through the big panes of glass, I could just see Jessica's wild curls bouncing around the store as she looked for her makeup.

"A perfect cover for what, exactly?"

"You spend more time with them than anybody. Surely you've noticed that they never eat."

"If you're going to make an accusation, you might as well say it instead of beating around the bush."

I guessed she must have lacked the confidence to say the actual word when I was giving her no help in affirming her own belief. Instead, I could feel her eyes boring a hole into my cheek as I kept my face resolutely looking at the Walgreens window.

"How long have you lived in Forks, Bella?" I asked when it was obvious she wasn't going to fill the silence.

"A few months."

"The Cullens have been here for two years already, and wouldn't you know it? Nothing has happened, because they're just people. You're coming here hasn't changed that. You haven't uncovered some dirty secret that none of us were unable to see for the past two years, no matter what you have worked up in your head."

Bella didn't get a chance to reply, if she even would have taken one. Jess had whirled back into the car by that point, and she immediately launched into passing out nail polishes that she insisted we needed.

"Really, I mean, look! They had a perfect color for all of us!" Jess had a shimmery plum for herself, a bright pink for Lauren, a maroon color for Angela, mint green for me. She had even grabbed one for Bella, a creamy, deep blue that would complement her porcelain skin.

I knew an olive branch when I saw one, but I never expected one to be passed from Jessica to Bella.

One of us had to make amends, I guess, but I knew it wasn't going to be me.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry, guys, I spent my week researching and writing a 10 page paper for my summer class that was a surprise because I guess my professor couldn't be bothered to tell us about it before the week it was due! Anyway, I know from the reviews that we are all of the general consensus that we don't like Bella. I don't, either, but I need her for now in this story...for reasons...so even though I have chosen not to have her with Edward, there's still going to be scenes with her in it. This all serves a purpose, I promise, but for now just take comfort in the fact that Maisie also finds Bella super annoying!


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven

**-Chapter Twenty-Seven-**

* * *

Monday morning, I invited myself into Edward's car. Well, kind of. I had already told Jasper I was going to tell them everything about Friday night with Bella, but I just figured in the privacy of Edward's Volvo was better than at lunch or something.

"Hi, friends!" Jasper caught me around the waist when I opened the door, settling me onto his lap. Alice turned in the front seat to give me one of her big smiles.

"You better not have saved her from something else life-threatening," Rosalie mumbled in lieu of a greeting.

"She made decent life choices for once and didn't wander away from the group or anything, so there was nothing to save her _from._ "

I thought I saw a little bit of an amused smirk in the way Rosalie pouted her lips.

"So, tell us." Edward twisted in his seat, too, so that he could meet my eyes. Even though his were bright gold, meaning he must have fed recently, they were still ringed with dark circles.

I launched into the retelling of everything Bella had told me, but I had to wait for a considerable amount of time for Emmett to finish laughing after I reached one of the words Bella had used to describe the Cullens.

"Dazzling?" Emmett asked through his laughter. "She really said dazzling?"

To be fair to Emmett, Jasper and Alice were laughing, too. Jasper had pressed his face against my shoulder to try to hide his laughter, but Alice's rang out unabashed. Edward was rolling his eyes affectionately at his siblings, and I noticed Rosalie toss her hair. Obviously, she thought that Bella's adjective choice was fitting.

"Yes, but that's beside the point." I waved Emmett's questions away.

"Thank you," Edward's voice was nearly drowned out by Emmett. He just couldn't get himself together, until Rosalie elbowed him in the ribs.

"Babe, please. This is abuse." The idea of lithe, elegant Rosalie abusing Emmett, who was the definition of burly, was truly funny.

"Do you think we're dazzling, too?" Jasper asked.

"Right now, I think y'all are annoying." This just made Emmett burst out laughing again. Even Edward was smiling, now, though. I think it was the first time I had seen him truly smile, and I could see how Bella had chosen 'dazzling' for him.

"What else did she say?" Edward asked. "And why didn't you look at her? That girl wears every emotion on her face."

He must have been watching the memories in my head as I told them about it.

"Because she gets on my nerves." Rosalie smiled at that, though it was still close-lipped and reserved. "She's noticed y'all's eyes change. Yours, and Rosalie's, specifically."

"She didn't mention anyone else?" Jasper asked, while Edward cut his eyes in a glare to Rosalie.

"No," I told Jasper at the same time Edward said, "I told you showing off does you no good, Rose."

"Rosalie can't help if Bella's observant," Emmett immediately jumped in to defend her. 'Observant' wasn't the word I would have chosen; 'obsessive' fit better in my opinion, but I kept that to myself. "I mean, no offense, Maisie, but literally no other human has pieced anything together since we've been here."

"It's not like she got here on her own, though," Alice pointed out. "That Quileute boy told her the Cold Ones legend."

Jasper had filled me in on that legend, of ancient vampires that had served as the catalyst for the Quileute tribe's shapeshifting.

"I told you they're always arguing lately," Jasper whispered to me, disguising it as a kiss on my cheek.

"Bella mentioned y'all never eating lunch, too."

"Maybe we should just blind her," Rosalie mumbled, more to herself than anything.

"So, she has a few points of interest that she's using as proof, but she still hasn't actually said the word vampire, right?"

"I don't think she will until somebody else does," I told Jasper honestly. "She wants someone to confirm it for her."

"Hmm," Alice hummed her agreement. "And right now, she only has a legend. The boy doesn't know, yet, that he told her a true story. He's too young to shapeshift for another year."

 _Man, Gunner would be pissed if he knew that some people get to be werewolves when they turn sixteen,_ I thought to myself, but of course, Edward heard it. He threw a small chuckle my way before turning to Alice.

"We can only hope that she may never know. Jacob Black will be sworn to secrecy once he does shift for the first time."

"I don't know," Rosalie mused. Just from her tone, I knew she was going to say something sharp. " _Some_ people aren't very good at keeping secrets."

I felt Jasper's arm tighten around my waist. If he was going to say anything to her, I beat him to it.

"Yeah, but I'm a joy, so there's really only gains here." This only made Emmett laugh again. I was amazed at the juxtaposition between his mirth and the ice-cold glare Rosalie was wearing. Opposites really do attract sometimes, I guess.

* * *

Before my softball season started, I got to see how Jasper and his family played baseball.

It seemed they knew all about geographical secrets in Forks. Some miles away from the Cullen house was a clearing that was too big for a traditional baseball diamond, but perfect for vampire baseball.

"Do not tell me we have to hike there," I complained when Jasper first led me into the line of trees behind his house. Per his instructions, I had _dressed_ for hiking—jeans and a thermal long-sleeve shirt with a scarf, a heavy vest and boots. I was under the impression that this was a cover, though, since Jasper was dressed in a pinstriped jersey and baseball pants. Alice's insistence, he had said.

"We would miss the storm if we hiked." Instead, Jasper had me climb onto his back. "I'll carry you there."

"That's the best thing you've ever said to me," I told him, wrapping my arms around his shoulder.

"Just make sure you hold on, okay?" Jasper settled me more comfortably on his back. "I won't judge you if you close your eyes."

I knew about the inhuman speed Jasper and his family possessed. I had seen it, when he slipped out my window; when Alice would suddenly flit from one place to another. I hadn't realized how fast, exactly, they were able to move until that day.

My arms tightened around Jasper of their own accord, making him laugh. Everything was blurring by so quickly that it was making me sick. I buried my face in the crook of Jasper's neck, closing my eyes tight.

Suddenly, Jasper's penchant for speed with his motorcycle made total sense. The ride through the forest was over almost as soon as it had started. When I lifted my head, I saw we were still in the forest. Not far off, though, I could hear Emmett and Edward arguing over who would be playing on what team.

"Did you survive?" Jasper helped me down and then rested his hands on my shoulders, holding me steady. My head was still swimming from the speed.

"Barely. Why do y'all bother to drive anywhere if you can run that fast?"

He was in a great mood, if the smile that had yet to budge from his face was any indication. "We do like to _pretend_ to be normal, Maisie."

Before walking out of the forest to join his family, Jasper caught me up in his arms. Thunder started to rumble all around as he kissed me, not at all helping my dizziness. He was still smiling when he pulled away from me.

"You ready?"

"I better be," I told him, nodding to the field. "Emmett's yelling for you."

Voice booming nearly as loud as the thunder, Emmett was shouting, _"Hurry up, Jasper! We have Eddy on our team for once and I am_ not _going to waste that while you play hanky panky!"_

While Jasper and his brothers took their positions, Esme waved me over to a little outcropping of rocks at the edge of the field.

"You can help me umpire." Esme had a big blanket with her. She lifted a corner, wordlessly inviting me to join her. "They'll deny it, but cheating is nothing new in these games. Even Carlisle's been caught a time or too."

Jasper had explained to me that the cold did not affect vampires. It would freeze them, and hypothermia was certainly out of the question. But just because it didn't hurt them did not necessarily mean that they liked the cold. Esme and Emmett, according to Jasper, were particularly disinclined to the cold.

"We don't _cheat!_ " I noticed that Emmett had a long-sleeve shirt layered under his own jersey. "We just get really, _really_ invested in winning!"

They lined up to play three-on-three: Jasper and Edward positioning themselves sparsely in the outfield with Emmett pitching; Carlisle, Alice, and Rosalie lined up to bat.

"Cheaters and liars," Esme said more quietly. She was smiling despite the scolding in her tone. Another thing that Esme and Emmett shared: deep dimples when they grinned. "Jasper tells me that you play softball yourself."

"I do." I watched Emmett pitch. Or, I should say, I was pretty sure he pitched, but I couldn't see the ball. Carlisle must have been able to, because he hit the ball with a crashing boom that mimicked the thunder. I wasn't expecting it, so I jumped. Jasper had only told me that I would 'see why they needed the thunder' before we came over.

"I play second base and sometimes outfield," I told Esme, trying to cover my shock at Carlisle's hit. There was no use trying to hide it, I knew, because she must have been able to hear my heart race. "We don't play like this, though."

Even I could see the way that the ball had zoomed past both Edward and Jasper. Both of them lunged for it, but neither quite caught it. Not that it mattered much; Edward disappeared into the forest and was back, the ball in his raised hand, before Carlisle could make it to third base.

"We have to separate Alice and Edward," Esme explained. "To make it at least a little more equal. Otherwise, the others wouldn't stand a chance against them."

That made sense, between Alice's clairvoyance and Edward's telepathy. "But, of course, putting Emmett and Rosalie on different teams can be detrimental. Watch how he pitches to her, compared to how he pitched to Carlisle."

It was immediately obvious what Esme was hinting at. Emmett lobbed the ball much more softly and slower to Rosalie, allowing her to get an extraordinary hit off him.

"This family of mine." Esme shook her head, though the love practically shined off her face. Under our shared blanket, Esme took my hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I really have to tell you, Maisie, how thankful I am for you."

I didn't often have one-on-one conversations with Esme, though I liked her. Like a true mother, she was always flitting from one of her children to another. The others were so wrapped up in their game that I doubted they were paying attention to our conversation.

"For _me?_ " I sounded dumb even to myself, but I was truly surprised. If anyone should have been doling out thanks, it should have been me. This family had, after all, provided me with answers to my own mystery with Maria as well as saving my life from James.

"Yes, darling," she reassured me with one of her soft, dimpled smiles. "For _you_. You have been such a comfort and blessing for Jasper. He's had uncertain footing in this world for so long."

I looked out across the field at Jasper, where he was laughing and helping Alice to her feet. Edward had knocked her down on accident in his earnestness to make a double play and get both of his sisters out at once. Jasper set Alice upright, mussing her hair to shake the grass loose.

I couldn't help but smile at them, too. Putting it into words, how I felt about Jasper, was hard for me. There was so much there: I liked his old-fashioned Southern manners. I admired the steadfast way he defended his family. I loved his bright smiles, his quick wit when he teased me in Spanish, the way he always kissed me in greeting and farewell.

"He's easily one of the best people I've ever met," I told her genuinely, softly. It was the truth, but it was one that I hadn't realized until I said it aloud. Turning back to Esme, I saw that her smile had turned brighter than the sun. We were sitting close enough together that she was able to easily plant a kiss on my forehead.

"You have no idea, sweet girl, how you have kept him going with all of this madness disrupting life. Between Edward's thirst and Rosalie's tendency to be volatile, I would dare to say you're helping him stay sane."

In the end, Emmett's leniency toward Rosalie and Alice's visions were no match for the Cullen boys. Despite the fact that they played for over an hour, Carlisle, Alice, and Rosalie came out on top with a winning score of four to three.

All of them were covered in dirt and grass by the time the game was over. Edward's hair was matted down on one side with mud, from Emmett tackling him to the ground in a post-game argument. Alice and Rosalie still looked like fashion plates even with their clothing grass-streaked. Jasper wore a thick smudge of mud down the length of his face and neck. The earth on his skin betrayed his scars, showing how thickly they were placed along his throat.

"Did you like the game?" He asked, leftover excitement coloring his words. The gold of his eyes shimmered despite the low, dark clouds overhead.

"Yes, but I seem to remember _someone_ promising they would win."

"Well, maybe you'll cheer harder for me next time instead of gossiping with my mother, huh?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello, sweet friends! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reads, favorites, follows, and reviews this story. I love you all.


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight

**-Chapter Twenty-Eight-**

* * *

"You know," Jasper murmured against Maisie's lips. "We're liable to be caught one of these nights."

It was a routine of theirs that a couple of nights a week, Jasper would sneak into Maisie's bedroom. In the shadows of her room, they quickly evolved from sitting in the window seat together and whispering to more…physical activities.

"We will not," Maisie argued. She lay beneath him, her hair fanning into a blonde halo around her head. "Who even was that?"

"Gunner, it sounded like." His concerns were dismissed with her eye roll.

"Ava's the only one who ever comes in here at night." Her little hand on the back of his neck pulled him down and brought their lips back together.

He sighed before picking up where he left off. Maisie was bolder than he was with their clandestine time together. While he was worried about getting caught, she focused more on kissing him so slowly and tenderly that it made him ache.

These sensations were simultaneously new and old for him. There had been Maria before Maisie, sure, but that had been a farce on Maria's part. She hadn't loved him, no matter what she whispered in his ear. It was nothing more than another means for Maria to control him.

Jasper, to that day, was ashamed at how long it had taken him to see through her pretty Spanish sweet nothings to the truth.

Here, with Maisie, was entirely different. He slid his hand behind Maisie's back, spreading his palm to press her closer to him, making her breath hitch.

"And what if someone does come in here, one night?" Jasper asked, trailing kisses along her jawline and down her neck. The fire stayed at bay, not igniting his throat, though he had to swallow back the reflexive rush of venom. Just a small bit, he cursed himself for his inability to fully control what he was.

"Then you better do your best Houdini impersonation," Maisie countered, her fingers becoming tangled in his hair when he reached her collarbone. Perhaps he took more pleasure in teasing Maisie in this way than he should have. The tempo of her heartbeat was a great reminder to keep himself in check.

Though she smelled like a vampire, thanks to Maria's mark, and her blood certainly didn't call to him the way Bella's did Edward, Jasper had to be mindful. His Maisie was still only human.

Should something happen—his strength forgotten, so that her bones break; his teeth nicking her skin and human blood touching his tongue for the first time in years—he was not entirely confident that his former self wouldn't take over. Jasper would turn himself over to a newborn army to be ripped limb from limb before he would hurt Maisie.

Jasper reminded himself, too, that despite her bravery and maturity, Maisie was only sixteen. _Seventeen in three days_ , she would have reminded him if he said it out loud. It was a tricky thing, in his own mind at least, reconciling his immortal age with her adolescence. That was not to say that Jasper thought what they were doing was wrong, only that he was painfully aware of the imbalance between them.

 _Seventeen in three days_. The passing of time still meant something to her. Every minute he spent here, kissing her in her bed, was a minute that Maisie grew older.

It was something they would have to discuss eventually, but not tonight. Not now, when her skin nearly burned against his palm where he rested it on her thigh.

"I don't think even Houdini would be able to escape this," he mused, his words washing over her mouth before he kissed her again.

* * *

Maisie turned seventeen on February twentieth. Rosalie was notably absent from the little birthday party Alice insisted on throwing for Maisie, but Jasper had warned her not to take it personally.

"She's jealous," he explained to her when he came to pick her up.

"You're still talking about Rosalie?" The incredulity in Maisie's voice almost made him laugh. Almost. In the glow of the dashboard, Maisie tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear self-consciously. "Why would Rosalie ever be jealous of me?"

"What's today?"

"My birthday."

"Exactly. I don't like to speak for my family, but there's something you need to understand about Rose. Despite what she has—our family, Emmett, her beauty and wealth—she's deeply unhappy with being a vampire. In the seventy or so years I've known her, Rose has come a long way, but she still has miles to go. Does that make sense?"

The pity was plain to see in Maisie's eyes, and he desperately hoped Rosalie would never see it. Feeling bad for Rose wouldn't win Maisie any favors.

"Yes," she said softly. Though she took his hand, he imagined she would have liked to take Rosalie's in that moment. "It makes me sad for her, though. I take it this wasn't a choice she made?"

"Our kind rarely get to choose," he told her, smiling sardonically. "But, no. She's slowly accepting and coming to terms with it. Esme says we just have to love her through it."

Painfully slowly, in Jasper's opinion. It was still not an unusual occurrence for Emmett to spend his nights holding Rosalie while she cried and lamented all she had lost by becoming a vampire. He knew, eventually, that Rose would likely share her story with Maisie, as would Esme.

Emmett, Edward, and Carlisle had all been more than willing to tell their stories to Maisie. Bear attack, Spanish Influenza, wrong-place, wrong-time. Maisie had played a role in uncovering Alice's, and of course, Jasper had laid his own past bare for Maisie before anything began between them.

Rosalie and Esme, though. Their stories were much darker, and Jasper could still feel the black clouds of the past that haunted them to that day.

"Yeah," Maisie's voice brought him out of his thoughts, "that's a pretty _mom_ thing to say."

Esme made Maisie a cupcake. Well, technically, she had made a full dozen, chocolate cupcakes with whipped icing, but the other eleven got sent to the hospital with Carlisle since she only needed the one for Maisie.

She sat good-naturedly and let his family sing to her and blew out the sparkly pink candle Alice had put in the cupcake.

After the extravagance of her Christmas gift—the rose gold bracelet that now always shimmered on Maisie's wrist—she had insisted that Jasper not buy her anything else. He had complied, but…

"I don't control Alice," Jasper defended himself when Maisie shot him a look after Alice pressed a box wrapped in shiny paper into her hands. He held his own hands up in a sign of peace at Maisie's little glare. It was all a façade, though; Jasper could feel how excited she was over a present.

Alice had given her something vintage, but still costly: black kidskin gloves. The accompanying cashmere scarf was new, and both, Alice had insisted, would match Maisie's red and black plaid winter coat perfectly. Even though Alice had chosen the gift and wrapped it, she had graciously written all of their names on the gift tag. Rosalie's included.

While Maisie ate her birthday cupcake, Emmett asked her a question he just seemed unable to contain.

"So, birthday girl, now that you are seventeen and older and wiser, with plenty of time to reflect upon the world of vampires, can you please tell me how the hell you never questioned your life until you met Jasper?"

Maisie was still chewing her cupcake, so she held up one finger for Emmett to wait. She shrugged at the same time that she swallowed.

"I don't know, I really didn't think that much about it when it happened." By _it_ , she meant getting her scar from Maria. By that point in Alice's little party, they had all moved to the living room, with the whole family lounging around. Maisie curled herself up, tucking herself close to Jasper under his arm.

"What do you mean, you didn't think about it?" Edward asked. "It didn't strike you as odd?"

"Everything in New Mexico is odd. The whole state is haunted." This made everyone laugh. Jasper squeezed Maisie's shoulder and kissed the top of her head.

"So, a strange woman showing up on your porch and her eyes turning red wasn't concerning?" Carlisle asked her. All of these were questions Jasper had asked Maisie himself before.

"I mean, yeah, but it wasn't like I was immediately thinking, 'Oh, this lady's a vampire!' It was just weird."

"But not weird enough to never tell anybody until this loser?" Emmett asked, hooking his thumb at Jasper. If he hadn't had his arm around Maisie, he might have lunged forward to smack his brother. As it was, though, he was more than comfortable the have Maisie's head resting on his shoulder.

"I knew no one was going to believe me, anyway. My parents always told me I had a huge imagination. I thought every story I heard was real."

"I like how you used the past tense there," Jasper teased her, making Maisie roll her eyes.

"Okay, so I still do believe in pretty much everything, and don't any of y'all try to tell me that things aren't real, because vampires and werewolves aren't supposed to be real, yet both are here in Forks."

* * *

Emmett and Alice forced Edward to go with them to Maisie's first softball game of the season. Rose had even come, if for no other reason than to wear the sparkly Forks Spartans t-shirt Alice had bought her and to get attention. It was certainly an unusual sight to see the Cullen siblings at a school event.

"Think, Teddy." Alice only used that pet name when she was trying to get something out of Edward. "If all of us came, and you didn't, that would look odd, wouldn't it? Besides, Bella neither plays nor apparently enjoys sports, if the gym class stories everyone trades around are any indication."

Rosalie leaned against Emmett's legs, as he was sitting behind her on the bleachers. Absentmindedly, Emmett played with her hair while he watched the teams warm up with Jasper.

"She's got a good arm, bro." He nodded his head toward Maisie, throwing a softball back and forth with her friend, Jessica Stanley. Maisie was obviously the more able and skilled player of the two, though Jessica wasn't terrible by any means.

Within the team, you could still see the silly human cliques formed. Maisie and her friends—Lauren and Jessica—had matching bows in their ponytails that no one else on the team seemed to own.

Jasper was glad that his siblings had wanted to come, too…well, most of them wanted to, anyway. Either way, they were there, which was nice because Maisie's own parents were missing the game since Ava had come down with a bad head cold.

"Let's hope nobody gets hurt," Jasper mumbled, low enough that only Emmett could hear.

"Ali said you'll be fine, though." That was true; he had asked her to look beforehand. "Either way, that's why I dragged Eddy's ass here, just in case. But, seriously, you'll be fine."

If someone did get hurt, Jasper wasn't sure that he would have even noticed, because he was too busy watching Maisie. She was funny, when she played. What Jessica had said about Maisie's softball strategies were true; her impulsivity definitely showed.

"Is she going to steal third, too?" Rosalie tipped her head back to look at Edward and Alice.

"She's thinking about it," Edward confirmed. "But she knows the catcher is watching her, too."

"Maisie will make it in time." Alice was confident, her eyes returning from the future to focus on where Maisie was inching away from second base. She hedged her bet and ran before her teammate even hit the ball, but true to Alice's word, she made it before her teammate's hit ended in her getting out before she reached first.

When Maisie was up to hit, she did so with considerable accuracy. She aimed them well, to fall in defensive gaps in the outfield. Maisie was small, though, and didn't have the strength to hit them terribly far, but she used that to her advantage. The balls dropped between the bases and the players in the outfield, leaving neither the baseman nor the outfield players enough time to run and catch them.

"She might be fun to play with, if she weren't so weak."

Jasper figured that was the closest Rosalie was going to come to paying Maisie a compliment.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi, lovelies! I'm so sad that summer is almost over. I hope you guys are having a wonderful week! You guys seriously make me so happy with your comments. I'm glad you like the way I characterize the Cullens. Several times in the books, we were told they were a tight-knit family, yet we didn't get to see as much of the Cullens as I would have liked, so it makes me happy that you guys enjoy how often I have them in this story!


	30. Chapter Twenty-Nine

**-Chapter Twenty-Nine-**

* * *

"That doesn't look like homework!"

 _Mortal Kombat_ wasn't anywhere near our homework, but, for once, I was beating Gunner and I wasn't about to give that up.

"Mom, it's physical therapy!" I yelled back at her. Never mind that Carlisle never prescribed me physical therapy. Never mind that it had been months since I had gotten the stitches taken out of my thumb.

"Oh, is this a new treatment I don't know about? A delayed reaction sort of therapy?"

"No, no, no, no, Mom, _please!_ " Gunner begged her when she walked toward the TV. Our mother was notorious for turning the TV off in the middle of games. "We're tied right now! One more game and then we'll do our work!"

"Fine," she consented. "But if I hear anything after the next _'finish him'_ , you two are in for it."

It was finally fully spring, just now in late April, and both of us were sick of school. We were burned out and antsy for summer, and we still had over a month of school left to get through.

 _"Suck it!"_ Gunner yelled when he won our tie-breaking game.

 _"Language!"_ Mom yelled back at him from the kitchen. She was letting Ava help with dinner, since Dad was still at work, staying late with a client.

"Put Gunner in timeout, Mama," I heard Ava urge her. Unfortunately for Ava, Mom only laughed at her suggestion. To Ava, being put into time out was the ultimate punishment. Me and Gunner took our homework to the kitchen table.

"One day, you'll have homework, too, Full of Fun. And when you do, you'll realize that homework is _way_ worse than timeout. You don't even have to be bad to get homework! Teachers just give it to you because they're sadistic and think it's fun."

Ava put her flour-covered hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at Gunner.

"Don't get the baby all worked up," Mom threw over her shoulder just in time to stop Gunner from launching one of his highlighters at Ava. Both Mom and Dad still called Ava 'the baby'. "One day, school will be over, and my sweet little boy will come back, and I won't have to deal with this grouchy rendition every day."

"You know what was great?" Gunner countered. "When we went to school in New Mexico and school got out in May instead of June."

"Yes!" I agreed, earning myself an exasperated look from Mom. "And we didn't go to school on Fridays in Tatum, either, remember?"

"No one ever told me how mutinous children could be before I had them."

"We're just reminiscing on the golden days of our youth, Mom."

 _"The days of your youth,"_ Mom mimicked him. "You too had best get that homework done if you want to go to La Push this weekend."

I wouldn't say it was warm, but then, I never thought it was truly warm in Forks. _Warmer,_ sure, but not hot by any means. Either way, the spring weather was working its way into all of our veins. A bunch of kids from Forks were planning on going to the beach. Mike was supposed to bring a net, so we could play sand volleyball.

Jasper and his siblings, of course, would not be joining us. The peace treaty the Cullen family had with the Quileute werewolves stated that the Cullens were not allowed to step foot on Quileute land, lest the treaty be broken.

"You still haven't convinced your boo to join us?" Gunner asked. He really liked to refer to Jasper as my 'boo'.

"No," I told him. "Jasper's going camping with his brothers."

Camping, hunting. Same thing for the Cullens. It was the truth, though; Emmett had been begging Edward and Jasper, because the bears were starting to come out of their hibernations.

 _"I like to take karma into my own hands,"_ Emmett had told me. _"A bear took me out, now I give them what's due."_

"They're a very outdoors-y family, aren't they?" Mom mused from the stove.

"Forks is a good place for it," I pointed out. With the end of the school year coming to a close, my parents had started asking more questions about Jasper. He was enrolled as a senior at Forks High, along with Rosalie and Emmett. All three of them would be graduating in June. I think they were both of the assumption that Jasper and I would break up, since I had another year of high school to go.

As for myself, I had been too afraid to ask what would come next. Jasper had given me no indication that he was leaving. I knew that Emmett and Rosalie had planned to go to New York, enrolling in NYU and living the city for a while. Alice had told me that Emmett and Rosalie did that sometimes, splitting from the family to live like newlyweds.

 _"They never stay away for longer than a year or two. They always end up missing everyone too much, and can you blame them? We are pretty great."_

I had a dual purpose, going to La Push. Primarily, I just wanted to hang out with my friends, but as a favor to Edward, I had agreed to see what I could find out about Bella and her place among the Quileute.

He was antsy, and I couldn't blame him. Though he had been following Carlisle's advice, and treating Bella with the detached politeness they regarded most humans with, Bella's guarded mind made Edward anxious. Add to that Alice's difficulty in seeing her, and it was no surprise that the Cullens considered Bella a wildcard.

* * *

"Try not to get hurt tomorrow, okay? No more stitches." Jasper smiled at me in the dark, tipping his forehead against mine. When he came to me at night was my favorite time.

"I make no promises," I told him. He ran a hand through my hair, twirling the strands around his fingers when he reached the ends.

"At least try not to be _too_ spontaneous?"

"Now I really can't make any promises," I giggled. "Gunner and I either keep each other in check or wreak havoc, there's really no in between."

Just last week Gunner had gotten it into his head that we should jump off the roof of our house onto Ava's trampoline when we were home alone. We would have been in a world of trouble if our parents were around, especially Dad, who insisted that trampolines were just 'arm breaking factories'.

"How about you just assume that I'll come back in pieces, so you'll be pleasantly surprised no matter what state I return to you in?"

"I like that part about returning to me, anyway." I wrapped my arms around his neck when he kissed me. We were standing in front of my window—Jasper was about to leave, so I could sleep. It occurred to me, as his mouth moved against mine, that he didn't necessarily have to leave.

"Why don't you ever stay?" I whispered to him when he pulled away. His eyes widened in surprise for just a moment.

"You know I don't sleep," he protested. I did know that. Carlisle had explained things about vampires that Jasper was unable to, such as their nonexistent need for sleep. According to Carlisle's theory, it was unneeded due to their diet—blood, a literal life force—replacing sleep. "As in, ever."

"Well, yeah." I shifted in his arms, wrapping my own around his waist. "But that still doesn't mean you _have_ to leave."

Tipping my head back, I watched his expression turn toward amused. "And what am I supposed to do while you're sleeping?"

Now _that_ I hadn't thought of. I just didn't want him to leave. "Oh. I guess you do have a point there."

I guess my expression must have shown my disappointment. Jasper lifted my chin with his fingertips, placing a kiss on my forehead.

"I'll stay if you want me to stay."

The idea of Jasper being with me all night, even if I was asleep, was thrilling to me. "Of course I want you to stay."

So, we laid together in my bed together. I was more than happy to draw my covers up and snuggle next to Jasper. He hooked his arm around my waist, pulling me close to him.

"Are you pleased now?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Extremely." I pulled his hand up, kissing the middle of his palm.

"If I turn your TV on, will it bother you?"

"No." I rolled myself toward him, resting my head on his chest, my back to my TV. "Don't watch anything weird, me and Gunner share a Netflix account."

"Mmm, I'm going to find the weirdest thing they have, then."

"If we end up with Ava's child lock on our account, I'll kill you."

I felt his laugh rumble in his chest. "I thought you were happy to have me stay."

"You're pushing it, boy."

I fell asleep in Jasper's arms, my head on his chest. When I woke in the morning, Jasper was gone, of course. The sun was actually shining, for once, and my bedsheets still smelled like him. I rolled myself in my blankets, savoring the fact that he had really stayed with me.

It wasn't until I sat up in bed that I noticed the note Jasper had left on my pillow.

 _Stay in one piece for me, sweet girl._

* * *

Like my last trip to La Push, I wore a long sleeve shirt and shorts. This time, though, I expected to leave unscathed.

"Alright, let's take bets now if Mike's gonna try to kill Maisie again." Tyler drove with one hand on the wheel, the other holding Lauren's hand. We had to take two cars this time: Tyler's new used car and Angela's. Tyler, Lauren, Mike, Jess, and I were in Ty's car. Angela, Ben, and Bella were in her car.

Dad still hadn't found a car Gunner liked with a price tag Dad liked, so I let Gunner and his friends take my car. I just hoped Gunner and Derrick and whoever else had gone with them didn't destroy it.

"I don't know, Maisie's got a _boyfriend_ now, so I should probably watch myself," Mike joked.

"Oh, so I'm only worth not hurting when I'm connected to a guy?"

"I just meant that now there's someone to kick my ass if I'm the reason you get more stitches!"

"Who's to say Maisie wouldn't kick your ass?" Jess asked. She was practically glowing because Mike had chosen to come with us instead of in Angela's car with Bella.

"She loves me too much. Right, Maisie?" Mike threw his arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze.

"Sure, tell yourself whatever you want."

It took Ben, Ty, and Mike forever to get the volleyball net up, but once they did, we formed teams to play. It ended up being sophomores vs. juniors, with my friends playing against Gunner's.

Angela and Bella didn't play, sitting off to the side instead. That seemed fine with Bella, though, because soon a new group of kids joined us. If I had to guess, the boy with long hair that sat down next to Bella must have been Jacob Black. His hair was lovely, such a deep shade of black that it reflected blue in the sunshine.

"Can we play the winners?" Leah Clearwater was in the group, too. She played for the Quileute Reservation's softball team, and I had known her since we were in eighth grade, playing on our schools' junior varsity teams.

"Yeah!" Lauren called back to her. Leah and Jacob's friends scattered around while we played, some of them lounging and waiting while others went to watch a group of older boys cliff dive.

Our three teams took turns playing through the afternoon. When Gunner's team had beat us and we had given up our side of the net to Leah's team, I plopped down next to Angela on her beach towel.

"Did you and Ben bring s'mores stuff, or do y'all not love us?" I asked Angela, making her laugh.

"No, we did. I'm surprised you're the only one complaining so far."

"My dear baby brother over there ate all the cereal we had at our house, so I didn't eat breakfast."

I was surprised when Bella addressed me. She usually didn't, unless she was trying to talk about the Cullens. Her eyebrows knit together, and she nodded toward Gunner.

"I thought he was your twin."

"A lot of people do, but I actually reign supreme as the older sibling by ten months. Obviously, my parents had more important things to do than take care of me." My sentence was punctuated by the wild yell of one of the cliff diving boys. I turned my head to watch him turn flips in the air before he sailed into the water.

"I was just telling Jacob about you getting hurt on the rocks over there," Angela told me. "Maisie, this is Jacob Black."

"Maisie Thompson." Jacob smiled when I introduced myself. It wasn't lost on me that Bella didn't bother to do the introductions. "I can attest to the fact that falling on those rocks is not fun."

"That's Sam Uley and his friends," Jacob nodded toward the cliffs. The boys were a ways away, but I could still see the matching tattoos each of them had on their shoulders, the black design stark against their coppery skin.

"Do they have a gang or something?" I asked. All of them were large, so tall and broad shouldered that their statures immediately made me think of Emmett.

"Or something." The way Jacob's dark eyes clouded over voiced his opinion on the group of boys. I knew these guys, standing up on the cliff, must have been the Quileute werewolves. It felt strange, knowing Jacob would be one, too, in the near future. He obviously didn't know his own destiny.

"Well, they'll know soon enough that falling on those rocks sucks." I pushed myself up off Angela's towel. Mike and Tyler were starting to get the bonfire put together, and the sun was starting to set.

"There goes the sun," I heard Bella grumble behind me. "I need it more than once every few months."

"That's only because you've been spoiled by the desert," Jacob told her. "You'll get used to it eventually."

When the sun had slipped below the horizon and our bonfire was really going, we passed around s'mores. Sam Uley and his gang had left, but Jacob and Leah and their friends had hung around. I was trying to think of a way to get _some_ kind of information out of Bella, my brother's voice intruded my thoughts.

"Hey, we need some ghost stories, Maisie." Gunner sat across the fire from me, and the flames cast mischievous shadows across his face.

"Why do _I_ have to tell the stories?" I asked, but internally I was extremely grateful for Gunner and his inherent need to tease me. This gave me a perfect excuse.

"Because they come better from someone who actually believes in ridiculous paranormal things. Last time I checked, you fit that bill."

I had no plans to protest, but I couldn't even if I wanted to. Already I could feel eyes turning toward me.

"Okay, so my brother will tell you I'm crazy, but New Mexico is straight up _haunted,_ y'all…" I launched into a story about Navajo skinwalkers, which I had chosen on purpose because I knew it was similar to the Quileute shapeshifting stories I had heard from Carlisle. Skinwalkers, though, were malicious and widely feared among the believers I had known. My story seemed to do the trick; I noticed Leah and Jacob and their friends whispering to each other.

"Our shapeshifting stories are a little nicer than that, at least. I can't tell the story like my dad can, but basically, the story goes that our ancestors were able to shapeshift into wolves to protect humans from an ancient evil called the Cold Ones."

I didn't mean to, but my eyes drifted to Bella as Jacob spoke. Her shiver was obvious to see, even across the fire. Jacob must have misinterpreted it as her being cold, because he scooted closer to her.

"The _Cold Ones_?" Lauren asked. "What does that even mean?"

"Basically like vampires," Leah offered, but you could tell from her expression that she didn't believe any of it. "Ridiculous, huh? The story says they came from the sea, completely naked, with pale, cold skin and black eyes. Supposedly they shimmered in the sun, and our ancestors thought they might be something like gods until they started killing people."

I was surprised Leah actually said the word, but it was obvious the Quileute kids didn't believe the stories. They were all rolling their eyes at each other. One of Jacob's friends, a boy named Quil who had accidentally hit Gunner in the head earlier with one of his serves, turned to Jacob and smiled wickedly. He used his fingers to mimic a stereotypical vampire's fangs.

So, even among the tribe, the existence of their own supernatural beings were a secret.

Leah had given me valuable information. From the way Jacob and his friends regarded the stories of their people, it was plain to see how Bella had figured out the Cullens secret. And she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I was sure.

I could feel Bella's gaze on me before I even turned my head to look. When I met her gaze, there was a challenge in her brown eyes.

Very slowly, I shook my head at her.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you as always for all of your lovely comments on this story. I love you all!


	31. Chapter Thirty

**-Chapter Thirty-**

* * *

It wasn't until Tuesday evening that I was able to go over to the Cullens' house and share what I had learned, because I had missed two days of school for a softball game we had to travel for. When I got home to my _own_ house, it was to find my whole family gone. Apparently, Dad had found a car for Gunner in Port Angeles and my own family couldn't wait for me to get home, so I could go with them to dinner after getting the car.

Rude. But I would forgive them, if only because it gave me the perfect excuse to go right next door. I was also starving, though, so I took my bowl of pasta I had made with me.

"Hi, my whole family abandoned me, so I'm gonna eat here." Alice had opened the door before I even knocked, of course.

"Oh, Esme and Rosalie just came back from dinner!" She told me with a bright smile. Of all the Cullens, Alice was the one who unabashedly embraced being a vampire the most. Perhaps that was because, despite all the information she was able to gather, Alice was still unable to remember anything from her human life.

"What the hell did you do to your leg?' Emmett called from the living room. He had Edward on the ground, sitting on his chest. They must have been wrestling, and Edward didn't look all that pleased.

"Oh, yeah." I sat on the arm of the chair Jasper was lounging in. He slipped his bookmark between the pages of the novel he was reading and set it aside, inspecting the bruise on my thigh that Emmett had called out. Jasper lightly ran his finger over the purple and blue mottling on my leg.

"So, it was the last inning and we already had two outs, but we had the bases loaded, too. Now, I know myself well enough to know I had no chance of hitting a grand slam and this pitcher kind of sucked anyway and, also, I wanted to win, so I was like, 'I'm just going to take a ball!' And yes, I regretted it immediately."

"But did you win?" Edward kicked Emmett off him while he was distracted talking to me. He rolled away and claimed a seat on one of the couches with Rosalie and Alice, leaving Emmett laying in the floor.

"Yes, and that's the important thing."

"Hell, yeah!"

Carlisle came in the living room from his study, doing a double take at the bruise. "Contusions are worth softball games, then?"

"If it gets us into the state championship, then yes." I had been eating my pasta as I talked. As soon as I had finished and set my bowl aside, Jasper pulled me into his lap. He kissed the side of my head, making me smile.

Edward, like Jasper, had been raised in an era of gentlemen. So, while his manners were showing and he wasn't asking the things I was sure were on his mind, it was obvious from his bouncing foot that he wanted to. Rosalie hadn't bothered to look up from her magazine since I had got there but knowing how invested she was in keeping her family's nature a secret, I would have ventured to bet that she was anxious, too.

I must have been right, because Jasper prompted me. "Did you learn anything over the weekend, Nancy Drew?"

"I learned that Leah Clearwater, at least, compares the Quileute Cold Ones legend to vampires. Which means Jacob might have, too. If not, Bella heard Leah say it on Saturday night, so if she didn't already have the word in her head, she sure does now."

Edward's face fell with every word I said. He threw a glance at Rosalie, who had lifted her head from her magazine to glare at him.

"Stop it, Rose," he snapped at her. "You know I haven't given her any indication that her assumption is correct."

Behind me, Jasper sighed. He rested his chin on my shoulder, watching his siblings with me.

"No, but she's already simultaneously scared and fascinated by you," Jasper threw in. "And those two things together can create irrationality."

If Rosalie still wanted Bella to die, she didn't voice it. Emmett had inched himself closer to her, until he was able to lay his head in her lap. He looked up at her, whispering something I couldn't hear.

Esme had appeared from somewhere in the house. She stood behind the couch now, soothingly running her fingers through Edward's coppery hair. Next to him, Alice suddenly went rigid, her eyes hazy and unfocused. I gasped a little, but nobody else seemed concerned.

"Shh, it's okay," Jasper reassured me. "She's just looking into the future."

I hadn't seen Alice have a vision until then. When it was over, her shoulders drooped when her body went slack.

"Were you able to see anything, love?" Esme asked Alice quietly. She shook her head sadly.

"It's going to get worse, soon. My visions, I mean. Jacob Black is nearly sixteen, and when he shifts for the first time, I'm not going to be able to see Bella at all when she's with him."

Edward hung his head in his hands. "Maybe I should just leave."

 _"No."_ The word came out as a snarl as it left Rosalie's mouth. "And draw more attention when you run back off to Alaska, so Tanya can baby you?"

I had no idea who Tanya was. When I looked back at Jasper, he mouthed 'later' to me.

"While I don't think it would be the wisest choice," Carlisle cautioned, "we are all free to choose for ourselves, Rosalie. This is a family, not a dictatorship."

Whatever was going on inside of Rosalie must have been more volatile than what showed on her expression. Edward was glaring at her, surely because of whatever thoughts were running through her head. I suddenly felt diffused with a sense of calm, which Jasper must have been using to try to keep Rosalie's mood as civil as possible. Though she set her pretty lips in a pout, Rosalie didn't say more. But Jasper did.

"We need you here. Your remote range is solid. I would be willing to bet that if you went along the territory line, you would have a strong chance of hearing Jacob's thoughts. Or, if you don't want to chance it, maybe her father's thoughts will tell you something. You can't hear Bella's thoughts, but that doesn't mean we can't use the minds of those around her to try to get a picture of the girl, since we can't rely on Alice's visions."

Edward had made a comment once about how Jasper's mind was like a chess game. Military and strategy, he said, were always present in Jasper's way of thinking and viewing the world. By those comments, it would seem that Edward was right.

"That's nearly stalking." Alice quipped. "But it might give us useful information, Teddy."

I was surprised that Rosalie's hard stare hadn't burned a hole into the side of Edward's face yet. He was quiet for several moments before giving a half-hearted shrug.

"I guess it could be worth a shot. Go ahead and ask your question, Maisie."

That was something that I considered annoying when Edward was around: along with his ability to read minds, he was not the least bit afraid to call you out if you were holding something back.

"Rude," I told him when I felt everyone's eyes turn to me. There had been a comment made by Leah about the Cold Ones—how they 'shimmered' in the sun. Up until then, I had no idea _what_ exactly happened to vampires in the sun, and I hadn't bothered to ask. Likewise, Jasper hadn't offered up any information. "Do y'all really, like, _glow_ in the sun?"

There was a beat of silence before Emmett's roar of laughter started. He turned his head, burying his face in Rosalie's leg, but it did little to muffle his amusement. Behind me, Jasper groaned.

"You really haven't told her?" Carlisle asked, sending an amused look Jasper's way.

"Maisie hasn't asked," he deflected. Which was true; I hadn't.

"First, tell me what you _think_ happens." Alice's eyes danced with amusement. "I'll tell you the truth in a moment, but I'm curious."

"I don't know, I just figured it made y'all sick or something." Esme smiled behind Alice, shaking her head all the while.

"I didn't realize that you still had such a problem with it that you would neglect to tell her, Jasper."

When I twisted around to look at Jasper's face, he was resolutely looking at the floor. I raised an eyebrow at him, but he seemed resigned to not speaking and letting Alice fill me in.

"Would you call it a glow?" Alice mused, turning to Emmett, who was still trying to contain his chuckles. Even Rosalie was watching Jasper squirm with amusement. "Or is it more of a shine?"

"It's a damn kaleidoscope is what it is."

Now I was really curious, but Jasper still wasn't budging.

"So, it doesn't hurt y'all at all?"

"No," Carlisle explained. "It's just simply conspicuous. We avoid the sun to keep our secret, but physically, there's no connected ailment."

"Jazzy just doesn't like it," Emmett teased. "He likes to stay inside or in the shade when it's sunny."

"It's ridiculous," Jasper mumbled. "I've seen the extent to which vampires can be killing machines. We're immortal, and nearly invincible, with heightened senses, speed, and strength. Yet we _sparkle_ in sunlight? Ludicrous."

To say that Jasper was fairly displeased by this aspect of vampirism was not far fetched by any means. I couldn't help my giggles, despite his obviously annoyed expression. I wondered what kind of bribery I could use to get him to show me. No wonder he was gone before I woke up on Saturday, since the sun actually visibly rose that day.

* * *

"So, who's Tanya?" I only asked once Jasper and I were alone in my bedroom. He was laying on his back, and I was laying on my stomach, with our bodies pressed together so that we were face to face.

Jasper smirked. "Edward's friend. Remember, I told you we have some family in Alaska? Of course, none of us our truly related. We call them cousins because their family also follows our 'vegetarian' diet."

"She's _just_ a friend?" The way Jasper was running his fingers through my hair was making me almost sleepy.

"Tanya…is Tanya." He seemed unsure how to explain. His eyebrows crumpled together. "It's very muddled. Tanya has always had feelings for Edward; until now, he has never reciprocated in any way. Being around them is confusing, and honestly a little sad."

"But he's not just using her, is he?" Jasper laughed, making me shake with it, since we were so closely pressed together.

"No one could use Tanya. Do you know what a succubus is?"

"Yes?" I wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"Tanya and her sisters are the reason that term even exists." I felt my own eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"That's impressive. I mean, to have a whole legend exist because of you? That's iconic." My admiration only made Jasper laugh more. He sat up a little so that he could kiss me on the mouth.

"You really are something else, Maisie."

"Yeah, I know. But, seriously, is Edward okay?"

Jasper's face clouded over just a bit. "It's a very complicated thing, this bloodlust. Drinking human blood is oddly intimate, purely based on the nature of the act."

His hand had absentmindedly come to brush against my neck. The brush of his fingertips made me shiver. "I've never truly experienced what Edward is feeling right now, only secondhand from my family. And nobody has experienced is so intensely as Edward is, either."

"It's complicated, then? The emotions behind it?"

"Very. Especially if you are an individual as morally aware as Edward. He tries, very hard, to always be good and always do right. I think you've seen enough by now to know that what is 'good' in the world of vampires is often subjective. _Does he eliminate this threat for his family? Would he even be doing it for us, or for his own gratification?_ These are questions I'm sure he's grappling with, even if I can't hear his thoughts."

We fell quiet for a few moments. Jasper kept running his hands through my hair. I shifted, laying my head down on his shoulder.

"And how has it been for you? This new secondhand experience from Edward?"

Jasper sighed deeply. "Difficult, but…I'm managing. You, my dear, make it much easier than it would be otherwise."

I smiled against his shoulder, a warm happiness filling my chest at his words. When he kissed the top of my head, my smile only grew wider. I wrapped my arms more tightly around him, hoping my happiness would speak all the things I had trouble putting into words.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi, lovelies! I hope you've all had a wonderful week.


	32. Chapter Thirty-One

**-Chapter Thirty-One-**

* * *

"We could have used you years ago." When Cinco de Mayo rolled around, the staff at Forks General Hospital decided to have a potluck.

It should come as no surprise that, despite all of their many strengths, vampires were not the best cooks. I wasn't sure why Esme was so self-conscious about her abilities, because the cupcake she had made me for my birthday was honestly one of the best I had ever had, and I had told her as much.

Either way, I found myself at the Cullen house on May fourth, making enchiladas and salsa.

"Oh, it's easy," I told Esme, dipping a tortilla into the sauce. "I just hope that it's not too hot."

 _Because everyone here is sissies when it comes to spice,_ I added only in my head. For me, spicy food was something I had grown up with. Outside of the bubble of New Mexico, I had learned quickly when we moved to Forks, it was not typically so.

Edward was playing his piano in the living room, but I could hear his chuckle at my thoughts weave its way into the music.

This was one of the rare occasions that I was at the Cullen house when Jasper was not. He and Emmett and Rosalie were hunting; Carlisle was still at the hospital. That left only Alice, Edward, Esme, and I.

Just to be safe, though, I did cut the veins out of all the peppers I used, so it wouldn't be too terribly spicy.

While I cooked, and Edward played, Alice and Esme flitted between the living room and the kitchen, talking all the while.

Esme was telling me about when Jasper and Alice had come to join the family.

"I'll never forget," she told me, her hands stained red with the enchilada sauce since she insisted on helping me roll them. "This was before we relied on Alice and her sight, obviously, so we weren't expecting the knock on our door."

Through the kitchen doorway, I could see Alice dancing a solo ballet to the song Edward was playing.

"There was Alice," Esme continued, "all bright smiles and confidence. Just behind her was Jasper, worrying at the hem of his shirt in his nervousness. I could tell they had been practicing our way of life; Alice's eyes were already golden, and Jasper's were starting to shift away from red."

It was hard for me to picture Jasper with red eyes, but otherwise, I could picture it in my mind. The way Jasper sheepishly ducked his head, peeking up through his lashes. His habit of playing with the hem of his shirt, or his sleeves, which I had seen many times at school when he was trying to right himself among so many humans.

"He apologized profusely," she was smiling softly at her memories. "When I took he hands he told me, _'Ma'am, I'm sorry. I didn't know there was another way, but that's still no excuse for my behavior'_. Jasper truly is the most gentlemanly of my sons, Maisie."

I smiled at this, because I had to agree. Jasper's picture might as well have been beside the term 'Southern gentleman' in the dictionary.

"I think so." In the living room, the music had changed. Edward was no longer playing; it was a CD now, and he had joined Alice in dancing, leading her in a waltz. "He's the sweetest."

"Jasper's certainly sweet on you." We washed our hands side-by-side in the big sink once all the enchiladas were rolled and put into the oven. She took my hand after, leading me to the kitchen table. Even after we sat down, she kept my hand clasped in hers. "Has he told you I had my own son once?"

I shook my head. "He doesn't like to share things about y'all's human lives…Jasper says it's not his place."

When Esme smiled, it brought out her dimples. "That sounds like him. I had the sweetest little baby, when I was twenty-six."

To hear that Esme was only, _technically_ , nine years older than me was surprising. "He was angel come to Earth, Maisie. The only good thing that came out of my first marriage was my son. His father was not a kind man; unlike Jasper, I don't carry the scars of my past on my skin any longer. My sweet boy only lived for two days. He caught lung fever, and he was too small to fight it."

Though Esme had only alluded at her human husband abusing her, I was scared in the moment that she would tell me he had tried to kill her. I could only murmur out an, "I'm sorry."

"He was too pure for this world, Maisie. It took a long time to come to this mindset, but I'm happy, now, that his brief life only knew love. He passed peacefully, in his sleep, while I held. I'm thankful he is safe at rest and never knew his father. After he passed, I flung myself off a cliff."

She said it so abruptly that I gasped. Esme squeezed my hand, her face crumpling in on itself.

"Oh, no, dear, I didn't mean to upset you. I only wanted so badly to be with my son still. Luckily for me, I had crossed paths with Carlisle when I was sixteen. He set my leg for me, after I broke it falling out of a tree. When they brought me to the hospital, he remembered me, and blessed me with this life. This was in 1921; Edward had already been with Carlisle for three years, posing as his younger brother. We very quickly become a family, and while I lost one son, I now have three! Three good, handsome sons and three sweet, lovely daughters, now that Jasper has found you."

 _Now that Jasper has found you._ I very much liked the way that sounded, and I'm sure it showed in the smile I gave Esme.

* * *

With finals looming near, Jasper spent a good chunk of his time studying with me. Not that he needed to study. Either way, he was spending a lot of his time at my house while I was studying.

Which, of course, brought plenty of questions from my parents. One Thursday afternoon, I was having a hard time paying more attention to my history terms than the way Jasper's arms looked in his short sleeve t-shirt. Jasper had accepted a bowl of ice cream from my mom, and he was doing a good job of not making faces or gagging as he spooned it into his mouth.

Since we were sitting in the living room, rather than my bedroom, it opened us up to the onslaught of questions. _Onslaught_ might have been a little two strong of an adjective, but still, it was a lot.

"So, Jasper." My dad's voice interrupted my thoughts about how fitted Jasper's t-shirt was, making me jump just a little. "You're graduating next month, right? With two of your siblings?"

I cut my eyes at Dad just as his tone. It wasn't that my parents didn't like Jasper. They thought he polite and courteous; I had never missed curfew, and obviously they didn't know how many nights Jasper stayed with me in my room. But I was only seventeen, and Jasper was posing as eighteen. My parents thought we were too young to be anything resembling 'serious'.

"Yes, sir." That was another thing my parents liked, Jasper's manners and habit of addressing them as 'sir' and 'ma'am'. "I'll be graduating with Rosalie and Emmett."

"Got any post-graduation plans?" Pepper settled herself into Dad's lap, even though she was definitely too big for it. Ava's tiny puppy was growing so quickly. Dad spoiled her, though, and still let her sit with him even though she was ever-expanding.

"Emmett and Rosalie are heading to New York," Jasper explained. "But I promised Edward I would wait for him. We both want to go back to Alaska."

"There are colleges in Alaska?" Dad asked. "What are you going to do during your gap year?"

"I'll take online classes, so I don't fall behind while Edward finishes high school. And, yes, we plan on attending Alaska Pacific University, in Anchorage."

I had no idea if Jasper's answers to all of Dad's questions were completely true, or if he was just thinking on his feet. If Jasper was just making things up as he went along, that was an excellent touch, for him to say he was waiting for _Edward_ and not for _me._ Either way, Dad was buying it.

"What are you planning on studying?" If it weren't for Jasper reaching across the couch cushions to take my hand, I would have thought they had forgotten I was even in the room.

"History, perhaps," Jasper continued on smoothly, confidently. "I've always loved to read about it."

"Not medically inclined, like your father?"

"No, sir. He's a special sort, my father. I could never do what he does." The pride was obvious in his voice.

Dad opened his mouth, to ask another question, I was sure, when my savior of a mother called him into the kitchen to help with dinner. I like to think that Mom did it on purpose. She provided us with the perfect opportunity for an escape.

"Go to my room, I'll take the bowls," I whispered to him. Jasper took our books upstairs while I took our dishes to the kitchen. Understandably, Jasper didn't finish the ice cream, so I drank the melted remains quickly.

All of the Cullens moved like ghosts, never making a sound, so I had no doubt that my parents didn't hear Jasper's footsteps on the stairs. Still, when I slipped the bowls into the waiting dish water, Mom reminded me, "Bedroom door open, Maisie."

"I know!" I called back over my shoulder. In my haste, I had not noticed a certain change in the weather. Some time between our fleeing the living room and actually making it to my bedroom, the clouds had broken apart.

I was unaware of this fact until I got to my room and noticed how Jasper was standing carefully just inside the doorway. I had a _huge_ bedroom window that was able to light up the whole room when the sun was actually out.

In my haste, and not expecting Jasper to still be in the doorway, I collided with his back.

"What are you doing?" I asked. He was entirely stiff. Besides the two times I had seen his thirst nearly get the best of him, this was the first time I had seen Jasper behave like the stereotypical idea of a vampire. A moment passed before I realized he was refusing to step into the wide shaft of sunlight my window was casting.

"Could you shut your curtains, please?" Jasper asked. More to himself, he mumbled, "Alice did this on purpose."

"Or… _you_ could close the curtains," I suggested, pushing on Jasper's back even though I knew it was futile. Even were it not for his enhanced strength, Jasper was full foot taller than me and plenty bigger.

"I'd much rather not but thank you for the offer."

"Please?" There was no way he was going to relent, but I could be stubborn too, if I wanted to be.

"Absolutely not."

"What about a trade?"

"Now you're making offers?"

"Bargains." I dropped my voice to a whisper. Ava was at a friend's house for a playdate, and I knew Gunner had his gaming headphones on, but I still didn't want to be overheard. "I'll close the curtains, if you show me after."

"How is that a bargain or a trade? I don't get anything out of it."

"Fine, go close the curtains yourself, then."

I made a show of walking through the sunlight, entirely unaffected, to sit on my bed.

"Maisie. Please."

Graciously, I only let him sweat it out for a couple more seconds before closing the curtains. I pulled them tight, so none of the sun would come through, and Jasper could be put at ease.

He blew his breath out in a sigh. When he crossed my room to kiss me in thanks, I thought, briefly, about flinging the curtain open. Luckily for Jasper, I wasn't nearly that devious. But I did prompt him again when he pulled away from me.

"Please?"

Jasper sighed, pulling me toward the window. I sat on the window seat with him.

"Only my hand." I would take what I could get. Jasper pulled the curtain back slightly, letting a tiny amount of sunlight in. Hesitantly, he put his hand in the light.

I don't know what I expected, but I certainly didn't expect Emmett to be right about the kaleidoscope effect. It was like shattered glass, or diamonds, perhaps, the way the light reflected back from Jasper's skin in a rainbow of colors.

"Your whole body does that?"

"Unfortunately." Too soon, Jasper let the curtain fall back into place. I was fascinated with how his skin could do that, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to investigate for long.

"You hate it so much," I teased him, leaning forward to kiss his grumpy face. "I liked it, at least."

* * *

 **A/N:** All the love for all of you!


	33. Chapter Thirty-Two

**-Chapter Thirty-Two-**

* * *

Edward liked to be right. It was one of the many traits he and Rosalie shared—really, it was obvious to everyone except for those two that they clashed so often because they were so similar. When Edward thanked Jasper for his advice, to listen in on the people closest to Bella since he couldn't hear her mind directly, he didn't take it lightly.

"You were right," his younger brother admitted, batting a tree branch out of his way. Late spring in Forks had brought with it more sunshine than usual. Lucky for the Cullens, there was also an outbreak of strep throat at the same time. They were using the human illness as an excuse for missing so much school.

"About what?" Jasper couldn't help but force him to say it. The three brothers were truly hiking, not just hunting, though they had strayed from the path to follow a herd of moose. Having left Forks at sun-up, they raced each other all the way to Canada.

Despite Jasper and Emmett's tag-teamed best efforts to sabotage him, Edward had still won.

"About…surveillance." Even in his thanks, Edward was resistant to admitting he had been bested. Ahead of them, Emmett's laugh rang through the thick woods.

"Funny how when you listen to a combat specialist, they might know something about strategy, huh, Eddy?" They hardly needed it, but Emmett liked to walk ahead and clear a path through the underbrush and thick trees. "Enlighten us. Share your newly gained knowledge."

"Blessedly, she's not as daft as I feared. I mean, I know she's intelligent in terms of school work from class. But as far as I can tell, she's also been smart enough to keep her suspicions to herself."

"Unless she's cornering Maisie in a school hallway," Jasper threw in. His words soured over Edward's face.

"Yes, except for then. Unfortunately, Maisie is the only one available to her to confirm her theories. Until Jacob Black's shapeshifting genes activate, I suppose."

"Who's the say he would even tell her, bro? They're supposed to be hidden secret creatures, too."

Edward lifted his shoulder in a halfhearted shrug. "He's young, and it's not hard to see that he has feelings for Bella, both in his thoughts and in the way Maisie talks of him. Adoration has led others to spill dark secrets."

From Edward, all Jasper got was a look thrown over the shoulder. Emmett, though, fed off their brother's nonchalant teasing and cupped his huge hand around the back of Jasper's head, giving him a solid shove, laughing all the while.

"That was fair," Jasper conceded, dodging away from Emmett's next good-hearted blow. His palm connected with a tree rather than with Jasper's shoulder, leaving a hand-shaped crater in the trunk. "What then? If the Swan girl knows?"

"Hopefully, she'll be content in knowing she pieced a mystery together while also being baffled by the fact that she couldn't see the other one right under her nose. Perhaps that will keep her busy until she leaves Forks. Apparently, she hates it here, if Chief Swan's thoughts are any indication."

"Isn't Maise on Quileute land today?" Emmett was fond of nicknames; he was the inspiration behind all of the Cullens'. He had taken to shortening Maisie's name, too. "For softball?"

"Their last game of the season, yes. Unless they beat the Quileute team to qualify for the tournament." Jasper didn't like not knowing what was going on with the game. From watching Maisie on the field—and just knowing her personality in general—he knew how impulsive she was when she played. Almost always, she came away with bruises and scrapes, pulled muscles or irritation to old injuries requiring ice packs.

With Alice's blindness concerning the Quileute shapeshifters, none of the Cullens were able to predict what would happen during that last softball game. Neither could they have predicted that Jasper's advice to Edward would calm his nerves concerning Bella while also speeding up the shapeshifting process for those carrying the gene.

While the brothers spent days hiking Canada to avoid the sun in Forks, six girls were injured during the softball game, thanks to Leah Clearwater's erratic and amazingly powerful pitches. Including Maisie, of course.

Before the game was even finished, it had to be cancelled, due to the sheer number of injuries. Lauren Mallory had a concussion. Jessica Stanley and two senior girls were all sporting deep tissue bruises in their legs that left them limping. Another senior girl had a cracked rib.

Maisie's left arm was casted before Jasper even crossed the border back into the United States. She had been unable to move out of the way of a pitch before it could collide with her forearm. The ball left a clean break in its wake. Carlisle, thankfully, was working despite the sunshine outside and set the break himself.

"My left arm was feeling excluded." Her new cast was the first thing she showed him when Jasper was able to see Maisie again. Or, rather, Maisie was able to see Jasper—she was at the Cullens' house, after all, a handful of nights after the game.

"Tell me again," Carlisle prompted her, "the Clearwater girl stated she felt sick before the game?"

"Yeah, she said she thought she had a fever and she was mad her coach was making her play anyway." Carlisle's face clouded over, and Jasper knew why. High-grade fevers were how the shapeshifting process started for the Quileute. The curious thing was that Leah Clearwater was female; typically, only males shapeshifted.

Add Leah's unusual pitching strength to her fever complaints, however, and it was obvious what the cause was.

"You can't lie to me and tell me that it doesn't hurt this time," Jasper reminded her. When Maisie had her stitches months prior, she had always insisted that it was fine, oblivious to the fact that Jasper could feel what she felt.

"I mean, I can do whatever I want." She was being sassy, but Jasper knew she was deflecting. The cast kept her arm still, sure, but it was still a fresh and tender wound. Maisie kept her left arm tucked protectively against her body and took care not to move it.

"It's curious, isn't it?" Carlisle said, mostly to Edward and Esme. They had been to Forks more often than the others. It was a favorite stomping ground of Esme's, as it was the first place they had settled after her transformation. The three of them had more experience with the shapeshifters than the others.

"Is it possible that it's a mutation? The ability to shapeshift is genetic, after all."

Rosalie was quickly bored with the conversation, having never cared much for the Quileute. She tugged at Alice's hand, taking her sister upstairs with her, leaving Emmett sprawled on the living room floor where he was watching a baseball game.

"Too bad I couldn't break my right arm and get out of finals."

"I'm not sure it works quite that way." Jasper kissed Maisie's head when she pouted. They sat together on the couch, Maisie leaning against him. Absentmindedly, Jasper played with pieces of Maisie's hair.

"Who needs junior year finals? They barely impact your GPA. Which is great news for Lauren, because that concussion is not doing her any favors."

Behind them, Edward, Esme, and Carlisle were still discussing the Quileute people and their shapeshifting habit. Jasper had been focused more on the baseball game Emmett had playing. He knew from reading her mood that Maisie was growing sleeping, starting to doze where she leaned against his chest. That is, until the tail end of Esme's sentence caught her attention.

"…the increase of vampire activity close to their lands compounds their shapeshifting."

That made Maisie shift, grabbing onto Jasper's arm to raise herself into a sitting position. She popped her head over the back of the couch to look at Edward.

"Wow, thanks. I have a broken arm because of your hormones." Upstairs, Rosalie actually laughed. Probably only because she knew Maisie wouldn't hear it.

"I've only spent so much time toeing the treaty lines because Jasper suggested that I do so to hear the thoughts of people close to Bella Swan—in example, Jacob Black."

Maisie turned her head back toward Jasper, a pout settling over her lips. "I've been betrayed."

"Don't worry." Jasper had to work to keep the chuckle out of his voice. "I'll start carrying your backpack again to make up for it."

"Yeah, you better," Maisie grumbled, though she didn't resist when he pulled her back down and pressed her against him.

* * *

When summer came to Forks each year, it was never with full force. It was more a continuation of spring, with balmy temperatures and a handful more sunshiny days. The slightly warmer weather also allotted for more thunder storms, which, of course, meant baseball for the Cullens.

And Maisie, who served as a cheerleader for everyone, even Rosalie. She tended to get so into the games that she cheered equally for everyone. If Jasper didn't find it so charming, perhaps he would have felt slighted that Maisie yelled for all of them.

One day in mid-June, with the clouds swollen and bruised overhead, Maisie stood on the large rock Esme favored as a seat during the games. She was practically swimming in one of Jasper's sweaters, which she wore against the slight chill the storm brought with it. The sweater hung nearly to her knees, hiding her shorts, the sleeves rolled up several times at her wrists.

"Go, go, go, go!" Maisie yelled, leaning forward onto her tiptoes like that might make Rose run faster. Jasper leaned on his bat, splitting his attention between his sister and Maisie, waiting for the outcome. Edward had just barely missed catching Rose's hit, but he was fast.

Over time, watching their games, Maisie's eyes must have adjusted somewhat to their speed. Her big blue eyes tracked Edward's advance on Rose as best they could.

"Slide, Rosalie!" Perhaps that had been his sister's intention all along, perhaps Rosalie was actually taking Maisie's advice. Either way. Rosalie did indeed slide, making her foot touching home plate roughly around the time Edward tapped her shoulder.

Everyone turned to Esme. She paused for a moment, considering, before she finally ruled. "She's safe."

Jasper lent his hand to Rosalie, helping her up. Her smugness didn't escape him; she was always pleased when she bested Edward.

"Yes!" Emmett yelled from the outfield, even though he was playing on the opposing team. "Way to make it home, baby!"

Rosalie blew Emmett a kiss over her shoulder. "Try not to ruin the winning streak I just started, Jazz."

"I'll try," Jasper conceded. "Edward and Ali being on the same team doesn't lend us any favors, though."

Alice was pitching, but her eyes were somewhat hazy as she looked into the near future. Edward, they all knew, would be listening in on her visions, giving their team a considerable advantage over Jasper, Rosalie, and Carlisle.

He could, at least, take solace in the fact that Maisie only jumped when she cheered for him. It was such a habit of hers that Jasper didn't even have to turn to observe it.

 _"Yes!"_ Maisie's voice rang out over the clearing when Emmett and Edward, each in their haste to try to get Jasper out, crashed into each other. They both missed catching his ball by a long shot. Edward, cursing, untangled himself from Em to retrieve the ball.

It was a lost cause. As he rounded the bases, Jasper got a glimpse of Maisie, bouncing on her feet and clapping as she urged him on.

Though his family played baseball under the cover of thunderstorms, Maisie's beaming smile felt every bit like warm summer sunshine.

She had cheered for him much the same way at his most recent high school graduation a week ago. There were three weeks left in Maisie's stint with her cast, but unlike the days immediately following the injury, you wouldn't guess her healing arm gave her much trouble. Not with the way she jumped and yelled and waved her arms during baseball games.

The summer also gave them more time together, often at their peer or occasionally in Jasper's favorite reading place in the forest. One particularly muggy day, Maisie had herself draped over him, punctuating her prompts and questions with easy kisses.

"Tell me what you remember. From before." Jasper knew she meant his human life, those hazy memories he had the hardest time recovering.

"I can't remember much…" He had explained to her, the day he revealed his family's secrets, how his single-minded survival instincts in Maria's army had caused him to lose the majority of his human memories. "I sort of remember a farm."

Jasper ran his hand through her hair. "Lifting hay bales, that's what I remember. Swinging them into a cart. Did I live on the farm? Only work there? I can't say, now."

"What about your family?"

Those memories were the first to go. Jasper forced them away himself. They were too painful to try to keep.

"I think I must have had a little sister. Ava reminds me of a girl I can almost recall. Bright blonde hair, like hers. I think she must have always been getting into things, too, for Ava to remind me of these things."

"You don't remember your parents?" Jasper shook his head, feeling the moss beneath him tangle in his hair.

"I…wouldn't let myself. There was too much guilt there. I was their only son, I'm confident in that. Going off to war had been bad enough. Not returning was surely devastating for them, whoever they were."

Maisie sighed, her eyes turning downcast. She ran her finger over his lips before kissing him again.

"I'm sorry," she murmured against his cheek. Jasper knew well that he could try to track his human genealogy and lineage through the Internet, but he had no desire. Sometimes you just didn't want the answers to questions, even if they burned in your heart and mind.

"It's okay. I remember my time in the Confederate army much more easily. That was useful to Maria. She wasn't going to let me forget."

A slight shiver ran through Maisie at the mention of Maria's name. She recovered quickly, typical for his Maisie.

"Lucky for us," she lowered herself to kiss him once more, and he caught her there, his hand cupping the back of her head. He kissed her for so long that Jasper nearly forgot Maisie had begun a sentence prior to the kiss. "We never have to see her again."

* * *

 **A/N:** It has been such a long time, and I'm sorry for that! Life hit me hard recently and I have been very busy with a new school year starting. I hope this chapter makes up for the absence and I also hope you enjoy the tweaks made to the timelines/events of the original story. Without the newborn army, I needed a catalyst for the changes in the Quileute teenagers. I figured Edward's 'surveillance' would be the perfect thing, though it does move the timeline up some. And I know that originally Jacob shifts before Leah, but Maisie doesn't interact with Jacob much, so I needed a different way for the changes to be brought to the Cullens' attention.

Anyway, I love you all! I hope you enjoyed this!


	34. Chapter Thirty-Three

**-Chapter Thirty-Three-**

* * *

I was still sporting my cast when I started working at the Forks Public Library again for the summer. Even though I found the cast annoying—this one curved over my elbow, keeping my arm bent and restricting movement—in a way, I was thankful for it.

As long as I had the cast, Nancy, the head librarian, insisted I be on desk duty. That meant I didn't have to go to the special collections in the basement to retrieve books. The Forks Public Library was a very old building, and to Gunner's endless amusement, I thought the basement was surely haunted.

"Hey, my Maisie girl." Mom leaned over the counter to kiss my cheek. She had summers free, since she was a teacher, and always made sure to bring Ava to story time with Nancy every afternoon.

"Hey, Mom. Hey, Ava." I was never sure if Ava liked to come for the stories and crafts or for the lollipops I always slipped her from the librarian stash. "Blue raspberry or watermelon?"

"Uhhhhh," Ava drawled, like all three of us didn't know which one she would go for. "Blue raspberry!"

Of course. Because watermelon was pink, and that wasn't going to make her tongue change colors. Where would be the fun in that? Most of my friends were not readers, but Laruen began to spend a surprising amount of time at the library that summer.

"It's the stupid concussion," she explained to me. "Dr. Cullen said I might have some memory lapses, because I got hit so hard. I didn't expect it to be like _this_ , though. I barely passed my finals. I need to study now, so I can make sure my grades stay up, or I'll never get into UCLA."

Moving to California for college was Lauren's dream.

"You'll be okay," I whispered back to her, running the scanner over the book bar codes. One of her senior friends had provided her with a reading list from the senior English literature class, so Lauren was checking all of them out to start reading early. "Your pitching average was great last season, even that last game. If your grades slip a little, surely your softball stats will still get you a scholarship."

The grim set to Lauren's mouth let me know she wasn't so certain as I was. I reached across the counter and squeezed her hand. "If all else fails, you can always ask Bella for help. She's already read all of these, too."

Bella was a frequent flyer at the library. Sometimes Jacob Black came with her. That boy had grown taller, somehow. He was nearly as tall as Emmett, now, and according to Jasper, his first shift probably wasn't far off.

Lauren gave a delicate snort and tossed her silvery-blonde hair. "I'll keep my C's and D's over asking Angela's pet for help. You and Jessica, though…"

"I'll have a free period next year, since I already finished my foreign language credits. I can look over your work until you get your GPA back up," I promised her. That, at least, seemed to give her a little bit of reassurance.

Jasper came to visit me at work often, too. Usually to bring me food or to steal a quick kiss. More often to teasingly harass me about how lacking the historical section of the library was. I was shelving books one day, listening to him whisper to me all the inaccuracies he had found in one particular book. Jasper had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, head dipped over the book, but suddenly he was right beside me.

Sometimes I forgot how quickly all of the Cullens could move. Most of them were so used to trying to blend in with humans that using their speed wasn't always a given. Unless your name was Alice Cullen. She flitted to and fro constantly.

"What're you…" I began to say, but Jasper's eyes were trained above my head. He moved a hand to rest lightly on my back when I turned, his face carefully neutral yet closed off, somehow.

I almost didn't recognize Leah. She had grown taller, too, as tall as Rosalie. Her sleeveless shirt showed off the ropey muscles that wrapped around her arms, as well as a familiar tattoo that I remembered Sam Uley and his crew sporting. Carlisle's suspicions had been right.

"Oh, hi, Leah!" I was genuinely happy to see she was okay. Carlisle and Edward had shared with me what they knew of the changes that took place if a person with a shapeshifting gene began shifting. The fevers, rapid growth, learning to control the shifting…none of it sounded fun.

The ghost of a smile came to Leah's lips. "Hi, Maisie. Bella told me you work here. I…"

She paused here, her hand raising to touch hair that was no longer there. Leah's wonderful, dark hair had been shorn away into a pixie cut that was reminiscent of Alice's. Finding no purchase with her hair, Leah shoved her hand in her pocket instead. With the other, she reached out slowly to touch my still-casted arm.

As she did so, her eyes never left Jasper. "I wanted to say I was sorry. To all of you, but Sam already told me that you would be the only one who understood."

What she meant was, _you would be the only one who would know._

"It's okay," I tried to reassure her. It truly was, to me. The whole thing had been accidental, and I knew Leah had no control over it. "I'm sorry you had to play softball while you were going through that."

Leah smiled truly this time, though it was sheepish. "I told Sam you were alright. He told me I shouldn't come here, that you would be upset, and I would just be starting something."

"Boys don't know anything."

"Yeah, you're right, but still. Thanks for not being upset…both of you." I tipped my head back, surprised to see Jasper give Leah a respectful nod and small smile. I knew there was bad blood between vampires and the shapeshifters.

"Maisie's cast contradicts me, but the sentiment is still the same. No harm, no foul. You didn't intentionally hurt her." For some reason, Jasper's sentiment made tears prick at Leah's eyes. I could see them there, though she refused to let them fall. She did, however, move forward suddenly to hug me. Jasper took a step back at the same time, allowing her room.

The hug surprised me. I had always known Leah to be stoic, her face cool and calm during softball games. It had been great game strategy, because none of us ever knew where her pitches would land…even before that last game. Her neutral face always ensured that we wouldn't guess, and getting a hit of one of Leah's pitches had always been a challenge.

"Thanks for not thinking I'm a freak, either." She whispered to me.

"Thanks for not thinking _I'm_ a freak." When she pulled away from me, she smiled truly.

"Oh, no, I do think you're crazy. I mean, _vampires?_ They stink, trust me, you just can't smell it. But you must have your own reasons."

"The werewolves stink _worse_ ," Jasper countered, but only after Leah had left. "Poor girl. She'll be an anomaly in a pack full of male shapeshifters. I hope they can find it in themselves to be kind to her. According to Carlisle, the pack works much the same way that a true wolf pack does. Alphas, betas…"

It wasn't until a week later when I overheard a whispered conversation between Bella and Jacob that I learned Leah's father had recently died of a heart attack. I was two rows away from them, but though Jacob had grown in size and surely strength, he was apparently incapable of truly whispering.

"…heart attack in their living room, right in front of Leah and Seth. My dad's been pretty torn up about it. Harry was one of his oldest friends."

Bella was better at whispering. I barely heard her reply. "Charlie has been down and out about it, too."

I rolled my eyes at Bella's habit of calling her father by his first name. Suddenly, though Leah's hug made sense. Learning she was a shapeshifter and her father dying all at once? I could only imagine the emotions Jasper must have read off her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bella's slightly louder, concerned whisper brought me back to my eavesdropping. There was a beat of silence before Jacob spoke.

"I told you I'm fine. Stop feeling my forehead like I'm a toddler."

"It's obvious you have a fever, Jake."

"Thanks for reminding me, _mother_. I told you already that I feel fine."

I walked away, leaving them to their quarreling. Maybe, just maybe, Bella would soon know the cause of Jacob's fever. The thick carpet of the library absorbed my footsteps, letting me sneak away quietly between the bookshelves.

It was funny, to me, that Bella had so desperately wanted her suspicions about the Cullens confirmed. Yet, she didn't even notice the things going on with the Quileute tribe. Bella and Jacob were leaving the library when I got off.

Somewhere along the way of my dating Jasper, my parents had gotten over their fear of my riding his motorcycle. I now had my own helmet, no longer having to borrow Alice's. I was already outside with Jasper, tiptoeing to kiss him before putting my helmet on.

Bella took the time to look away from Jacob, who she was watching with worry and apprehension, to watch me kiss Jasper. Her face screwed up in an emotion I couldn't quite read when I stepped back from Jasper and caught her eye.

Jasper also caught on to Bella's look. I felt his hand sweep my hair away from my shoulder before he dipped his head, placing a kiss on my neck. The sudden intimacy made my eyes flutter, while Bella's went wide in shock. I couldn't help but smile when her hand shot out, gripping Jacob's forearm.

"You're bad." My whisper came out much thicker than I expected. Jasper chuckled and helped me slip my helmet on. He smirked at me before flicking down my helmet's visor, bathing himself in dark blue tones from the tinted glass.

"If she wants to fancy herself a spy, we might as well give her a show."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello, lovies! Thank you for being understanding while there was such a gap in updates. Hopefully, as I get adjusted to the new semester and schedules, I can get chapters out more often. Thank you, as always, for all of your love and support for this story! I hope you continue to enjoy it.


	35. Chapter Thirty-Four

_**Chapter Thirty-Four**_

* * *

My cast coming off was somehow more exciting for Emmett than it was for me, and I hated the thing. Keeping my arm bent for six weeks had been inconvenient, but at the same time, I had grown so used to it that in the days following Carlisle removing the cast, I kept catching myself holding it bent.

"It's off!" Emmett had yelled. "Why didn't anyone tell me?!"

"I keep telling Jasper to add you to the bulletin recipients, so you get all my life updates, but I guess he's slacking." His excitement was so great that he didn't even pause to appreciate my sarcasm.

"This is excellent!" I had no idea why this was so exciting for Emmett. Jasper had invited me to go 'swimming' with him and Emmett. Which meant, while they swam, I would be trying to coax any sea life I observed from the pier into being my friend.

I glanced up at Jasper, but he was too busy pulling his shirt over his head to give me a clue as to why his brother was so jazzed over my cast removal.

"Now me and Rose can get married! She didn't want your neon green cast clashing with everything." Oh. So, _there_ was the root of the excitement.

"Aren't y'all already married?" I was genuinely confused.

"They do this every few years." Jasper's tone let me know he wasn't exaggerating. He kissed my temple before following Emmett down the pier. They raced each other down the wooden outcropping. "Just go with it!"

The blast of Emmett's cannonball was so mighty that it sent Jasper under the aftershock waves of it. Were it not for the fact that I knew he would be fine—literally unable to drown—I would have been worried. As it was, I simply sat cross-legged on the pier and waited for Jasper to resurface.

Eventually, he did, shaking his head to throw his sopping-wet hair off his face.

"I'll race you," he called out to Emmett, like the two of them hadn't already had a race. Emmett's waves had also sent Jasper a few yards away from his brother.

"Across or down?" Emmett called back, performing lackadaisical backstrokes to propel himself through the water. I laid myself down on the pier, bored with their competitive antics. Jasper must have picked the 'down' option, because when I peeked up, they were both gone.

I wanted the dolphins to come back, but I hadn't seen them in months. I knew they probably wouldn't come close with Jasper and Emmett in the water anyway. Jasper still maintained that Honeybun was the only animal to ever like him.

All I saw under the water was some fish, all of which swam away when I dipped my fingertips into the water. I rolled myself onto my back, watching the clouds shift in the sky instead. Apparently, Edward's subtle brags when he described vampire abilities in-depth to me were justified. I thought Jasper and Emmett were liable to never surface from the water again.

They were gone for so long that I nearly fell asleep, watching the clouds and waiting for them to come back. The gentle waves didn't help much, their rhythm lulling me toward sleep. I didn't notice the change in the sound of the waves, which would have signaled Jasper's return had I been paying attention.

Instead, the salty seawater dripping from Jasper's hair alerted me. The droplets startled me awake, making me think it was raining. But when I opened my eyes, I saw Jasper's smiling, upside down face had replaced the clouds.

"I won," he told me, dropping his head to kiss me. He was effortlessly holding himself aloft on the edge of the pier, his body still half-submerged in the ocean below. I was framed between him and the pier underneath me. They must have dived deep underwater; there was a soggy chill on Jasper's skin, and I could taste the sea on his lips.

It was a glorious moment while it lasted, but a sudden deluge of a wave fell over us, courtesy of Emmett. The onslaught of water left me soaked, despite Jasper trying to cover me as much as he could. He was also wet, though, so his covering me didn't really help all that much.

"Get a room, you two."

I would have liked to know Jasper's reaction, but it was too fast for me to process. Rather, the two of them were simply suddenly gone, fallen down beneath the waves again.

* * *

"Would you be frightened, if there were suddenly more vampires in Forks?" Now that it was summer, I didn't have to sleep if I didn't want to, when I didn't have work in the morning. Which meant that I spent many nights awake when Jasper was over, only to sleep late into the morning the next day.

"Aren't your cousins from Alaska coming? The ones that all drink animal blood, just like you?" I titled my head back to look at him. Weak moonlight streamed in from my window, but it was enough for me to catch glimpses of his golden eyes. I lifted a finger and ran it just under his eye, trailing it along his cheek. "I'll get to meet this infamous Tanya."

That made Jasper chuckle. I felt it rumble through his chest, we were so closely pressed together. "Yes. Still, logically, you should be frightened. Not excited."

I shrugged, because I couldn't help it. Alice had told me about Tanya, who she described as 'almost as lovely as Rosalie' and having strawberry blonde curls. I already knew from Jasper that Tanya and her sisters were the inspiration behind the myth of succubi, which I loved. It was admirable, in my opinion, to have a whole mythology based around you.

"Tanya's my hero," I joked, to which Jasper groaned.

"You can't go mooning after her, too. I'll lose my mind."

"Someone's going to have to pay attention to her while Edward is fulfilling his best man duties." Rosalie and Emmett renewed their vows so often that Jasper and Edward took turns being the best man. Esme and Alice did the same, with the role of maid of honor. Carlisle consistently played his part of walking Rosalie down the aisle.

Jasper, Esme, myself, and their family from Alaska would serve as wedding guests. When I had mentioned Rosalie and Emmett's upcoming nuptials to Jessica, she had been ridiculously scandalized.

 _"Isn't that, like, illegal?"_ She asked. Jess had brought me lunch from the sandwich shop she was working at, and we ate together sitting on the front steps of the library.

 _"No? Carlisle and Esme didn't ever adopt Rosalie and Jasper. They were only foster parents for them."_ Rosalie and Jasper had recently 'had a birthday', marking them as eighteen. Emmett's actual birthday had been in the spring.

 _"Still."_ Jessica shook her shoulders, like she had felt a chill. _"They were raised as siblings."_

 _"Hardly,"_ I countered. _"Emmett was already eleven when Jasper and Rosalie came to live with the Cullens when they were ten. Don't make that face, I seem to remember you having a crush on Ben Yorkie when we were ten."_

 _"We don't speak of that, Maisie."_ Jess' face soured against the memory.

 _"Doesn't mean it didn't happen, Jessica,"_ I countered. Still, Jessica wasn't the only one who was put off by the idea of Rosalie and Emmett tying the knot. My parents weren't exactly scandalized, but they were surprised that Carlisle and Esme would allow them to marry so young.

Either way, it was happening. A nighttime wedding, which I had never heard of, but which fit for two vampires. The morning before the wedding, Alice showed up to my house with a black dress.

"Surprise," she told me, bursting into my bedroom with the dress in a bag. My parents or Gunner must have let her in to the house. "Rosalie decided she wants to be the shining star, so the rest of us have to blend into the night. Everyone is required to wear black, so I'm gifting you a dress."

When she unzipped the garment bag, Alice revealed a two-piece black dress. The top was long-sleeved lace overlay, and the skirt was satiny, short and full.

"Oh," I breathed. I wasn't sure how the sparkling beadwork stitched into the lace was going to 'blend into the night'. "Alice…"

She held up a hand to cut me off, already knowing what I was going to ask. "I bought it years ago, so don't even bother me about the price. You're lucky we're the same size. I brought you shoes, too."

Blessedly, Alice had taken into account that the wedding was outside, and that I did not have the extraordinary grace and balance that allowed her to wear high, spiky heels even on grass. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the strappy, beaded sandals she had brought instead.

"Paint your nails black," Alice instructed. "And curl your hair. Pin it like this."

She plucked a bobby pin off my dresser, twisting my hair so it all fell over one shoulder. "I would doll you up, but unfortunately, it's my turn to get Rosalie ready, so you'll be left to your own devices. Luckily, I have full faith in you."

Alice's parting gift was a flower-shaped hair pin made of jet-black stones.

"It's Alice's prom dress from last year," I told my mom, so she wouldn't get upset over my accepting the dress. I had already ripped the price tag off. The labels were in Franch, and I didn't know the exchange rate between American dollars and French currency, but I also didn't want to know.

"I've never heard of a wedding dress code, other than in terms of formality." Mom zipped the back of the top up for me when I was getting ready. "It's a lovely dress, though. Is it still a dress, if it's in two pieces?"

"Why not?" The top was cropped, but the skirt fit so that the two pieces nearly came together. A tiny sliver of my skin separated the two. I was a handful of inches taller than Alice, so I was sure the skirt would have fallen to her knees, but it hit me mid-thigh.

Were it not for the long sleeves—and the fact that Carlisle and Esme would be at the wedding, effectively chaperones in my parents' minds—I'm not sure I would have been allowed to leave the house in the dress otherwise.

"You look like you're going to a funeral on that stupid show you watch," Gunner told me when he walked by my room. He meant _Pretty Little Liars_ when he said, 'that dumb show'.

"That's high praise, coming from you!" I yelled back at him. I felt like I was getting ready for prom, with the dress on. Never had I been to a wedding that required something so fancy.

I thought, perhaps, Alice was overexaggerating. That happened with her sometimes. Surely, this all black dress code Rosalie was dictating wasn't that serious.

Then I saw Jasper, clad in a black tux with a black shirt and—you guessed it—a black tie. He opened the door to the Cullen house before I even knocked. "Oh, Rosalie was serious."

His blonde hair was the only thing breaking the monochromatic color scheme. My blurted words made Jasper chuckle. "Yes, she's quite serious. I wouldn't want to test her by wearing anything but her designated color."

Jasper drew me into the house by the hand, dipping his head low to whisper to me. "Though, in my opinion, she won't be able to shine like she intended with you around."

The compliment made me blush. Through the floor to ceiling windows that made up one wall of the Cullens' living room, I saw that the backyard had been transformed. All of the trees wore sparkling tealights, and a double row of chairs had been set up. The chairs, of course, were black, but Rosalie's aisle was lined with white rose petals that were so thickly strewn that I could smell their heady scent through the open sliding door.

With a hand pressed against my back, Jasper led me to the yard. Gauzy white fabric hung overhead, stretching from tree branch to tree branch. I realized the chairs were arranged to face the aisle, not the alter. Rosalie truly wanted every eye on her.

"And they do this often?" I asked Jasper, quirking an eyebrow.

"It makes Rosalie happy," he explained. "And Emmett has made it his life goal to ensure her happiness."

Alice must have been with Rosalie—wherever they were—but Esme greeted each of us with kisses on the cheek, her arms laden down with yet more white roses. Her black dress was sleek and long, with an off the shoulder cut and a little train that glided elegantly behind her.

"Apparently, I didn't make the aisle long enough. Maisie, will you help me pluck these petals?"

I never could have done it as quickly as Esme. For every flower I completed, she had at leas four done, but I helped her anyway. Esme lined the perimeter, so it would be straight, and had me fill in the middle.

"She's going to be a vision," Esme told me, every bit the proud mother. I was sure Rosalie would be. She was always a vision, even when she was doing nothing more than walking across the schoolyard on a dreary day at Forks High.

I was happy for Rosalie and Emmett, because obviously this was something that made them happy, even if it were nothing new. I would have been lying, though, if I said I wasn't more curious about Jasper's Denali cousins. He had told me little more than their names: Tanya, Irena, and Kate, the sisters of succubi lore. Carmen and Eleazar, the latter of which I knew had left the Volturi—the overlords of the vampire world.

I knew very little about the Volturi. Carlisle and Jasper were in agreement that it was better if I didn't know much about them, unless there was need for me to.

 _"They consider me an old friend, but they do not play as well with humans as my family does,"_ Carlisle had told me once. That was enough for me to not ask questions, his words calling up James' and Maria's red eyes in my mind.

I didn't have to wait long for my curiosity to be satisfied. No sooner had I finished filling in the rose petal border that Esme had laid out for me, there was another knock on the door. I turned to Jasper, who had been hanging more strings of light also per Rosalie's instructions, and smiled brightly at him.

"Your _hero_ has arrived," he teased me, flitting to my side. "Try not to feed her ego too much."

Lucky for Jasper, there was no time before the ceremony to talk to anyone. We were quickly ushered into our seats by Esme.

Just like Esme had predicted, Rosalie was absolutely a vision when she walked down the aisle. The only one in white, her dress clung to her curves, the thin fabric shimmery under all the lights Jasper had hung. She was like a beacon in the night, walking down the aisle. The only thing brighter than Rosalie herself was Emmett's smile.

I didn't get to talk to Jasper's Denali cousins until after the ceremony, but that was honestly what I was most excited for.

In the end, it was not Tanya who I found most fascinating, but rather her sister, Kate. Tanya was lovely as Alice had said, yes, but she didn't compare to Kate in personality in my opinion.

Kate was blonde, like her sisters, though hers was long and straight. Her voice carried a lilting accent that I couldn't place, and she told me stories of her human life.

"My tribe was a war tribe," she told me. We sat together under the lights while everyone milled around. Though Jasper had told me I should be scared about more vampires coming to Forks, he had undermined his own words. It was obvious he had full trust in his extended family, as he had left me alone with Kate to talk with another cousin, a young man named Eleazar.

"Even the women fought, especially myself. That was my job, to protect my lady. She was wealthy and highborn, and I can scarcely remember her face, now, but I know that I loved her fiercely. Protecting her was not a duty, but an honor."

I was fascinated by her story of war progressions over land and see. Kate and I were about the same size, yet she told me of cutting men down in the name of 'her lady'.

"We were travelling in a caravan when the women who would become my mother and sister in another life attacked us." Kate smiled ruefully here, tossing a look over her shoulder to where Tanya was talking with Edward and Alice. "A whole tribe of humans, over a hundred strong—considerable numbers, in those days—but we didn't stand a chance against just two vampires. I'll be damned if I didn't try, though."

My mind wandered to James, and the way the bullets lodged into his skin. Though it cracked like glass, no blood had trickled out, of course. And my efforts didn't give him the slightest pause.

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Everything I could. Every weapon I had, I tried. All of my blades, my spears…nothing so much as scratched their skin. It was very frustrating. In a last-ditch effort, I set fire to some of our supplies, shielding my lady behind the flames. That was the only strategy that even phased Tanya and Sasha—that was our mother. In the end, it wasn't enough. It never would have been enough. My lady died, and I was born again as one of the creatures I was trying desperately to defeat."

Emmett's hand clapping down on my shoulder made me jump. "I should've known you two would become friends. Maisie here has shot a vampire, an old friend of your newest coven member."

"Laurent? Yes, he did tell us the unhappy run-in his old coven had with yours. He calls his old companions fools, to try to take on a coven of your number. Laurent seems quite happy with Irina, and he's adjusting to the new diet well. If we're to keep house with one of your adversaries, I'm glad it's him."

I tipped my head back to look at Emmett. "He knew James? I didn't know that."

"I probably shouldn't've told you." Emmett's halfhearted shrug let me know he also didn't care if he wasn't supposed to let that slip. "Bygones, and all of that. What's done is done, right? Hey, Kate, show her your gift."

"You have one?" I asked, immediately interested, Laurent and his former friendship with James forgotten in my mind. Kate lifted her arm to me and I watched, in amazement, as a crackling layer of electricity coated her skin. The energy was alive, writhing and sparking over her arm.

I very nearly touched it. I have no doubt I would have, and shocked myself greatly in the process, were it not for a sudden fear that stilled my hand.

"Jasper!" Across the Cullens' lawn, he raised one shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. I knew he must have felt my excitement and stopped it before I could hurt myself.

"I like your heart beating," he called back to me.

"Oh, Jasper, don't you think I know how to use my power and leave a human alive? Men love it. Let her touch, she'll hardly feel it."

I narrowed my eyes at Jasper before turning back to Kate. She let the electricity bathe her skin in that thin layer again. Tentatively, I reached a finger out to tap her skin.

Kate was right. It was only a tiny shock that she let me feel, with no pain. Instead, it made me laugh. I had hardly believed the electricity was real until I felt it.

"I know, I know, she's kind of broken, as far as humans go," Emmett teased. Kate's face turned smug.

"That's so _cool!_ " On impulse, I reached my hand out to touch her arm again, but Kate moved it away.

"Let me show you my real power," she gloated, turning toward Emmett. Never one to turn down a challenge, Emmett happily held his own arm out for Kate to subject to her electric shock.

I never got to see Kate's real power, though.

Honestly, sometimes I forgot just how quickly vampires could move. With a dizzying speed that made me nauseous—it was much faster than Jasper had ever handled me—Emmett all but threw me behind him.

"Em—" I started to say, but my question died on my lips. He didn't need to tell me what was happening when several monstrously huge wolves flooded into the Cullen's yard from the tree line of the forest.

Jasper was quickly at my side, tucking me close to him. "What's going on?"

Thankfully, Jasper was able to hear my question even though my voice failed me.

"I'm not sure," he murmured back to me. "Alice didn't see them, of course. Edward must have been too distracted to hear them."

Though Jasper's eyes were scanning the scene before us and his face was impassive, I could still hear the annoyance ringing in his voice. He didn't like the idea that the Quileute werewolves were able to ambush them.

Everyone was moving quickly, but I tried to make sense of the scene as much as I could. Edward and Alice were running—I only knew from the side-by-side blurs of their black and copper hair streaking across the yard. Emmett was already engaging in a tense stare down with one of the werewolves. They were silently daring the other to make the first move.

I didn't see Carlisle, but I could hear him somewhere, trying to speak diplomatically, asking which of the werewolves was Sam Uley. My view of anything was soon disrupted, though.

A smaller, gray wolf came to sit right in front of us. I say this one was smaller, but it was still taller than Jasper even when the wolf came to rest on the ground. This gray wolf turned its head, almost nodding to Jasper.

I knew instantly this was Leah, and I let out a sigh of relief I didn't know I was holding.

"You will be safe with her," Jasper told me, but I didn't need that reassurance. I already knew Leah wouldn't hurt me. He kissed my cheek quickly. "I need to help them."

Then Jasper was gone. I stepped closer to Leah, sinking a hand into the thick fur on her shoulder to steady myself.

"I'm sorry," I murmured. "I don't know what's going on. And I'm scared."

Leah dipped her head, bumping her nose against the same cheek Jasper had just kissed, gently turning my head away. Whatever was going on in front of Leah, she didn't think I needed to see.

When I heard the awful, creaking and cracking sound of vampire skin breaking, I had to agree with her. The shrill, thin sound, so like ice on a lake breaking apart, reminded me entirely of James. It drowned out the sound of shouting and arguing and wolf growls, so that it was all I heard.

I closed my eyes against that sound and the memories it brought up in my mind. I forgot to even be concerned about who was being hurt. It was all over in no more than a handful of minutes, but I felt like I stood with my eyes scrunched shut and a fistful of Leah's fur for many years.

The end was signaled with a deep growl that I felt reverberating through Leah. Not at me, nor at Jasper, who had returned and was softly working my fingers out of the tangle they had made of Leah's fur. No, here was Leah, growling at one of her own. I wished I knew what was being said between the two wolves, Leah and this inky black one that was larger than the rest.

"Now that Edward is paying attention," Jasper whispered to me, "I can tell you why. Remember, Laurent was originally part of James' coven. He took human lives in Forks. This is simply the wolves' justice for old crimes."

"Why is that one so mad at Leah?" I asked, my voice shaky. My heart was beating so hard and fast that I was surprised Jasper could stand to be near me.

"I'm not sure," Jasper admitted, carefully leading me away from the scene. He made sure my back remained turned to the carnage as he took me toward the house. "Emmett didn't hurt you, did he? When he moved you?"

"No," I murmured, for I hadn't thought Emmett had. In actuality, I had a deep bruise the exact size of Emmett's hand where he had grabbed my arm, but the long sleeves of my dress hid it. Emmett felt terrible about the bruise despite how many times I told him it was fine, and he didn't need to continue to apologize.

You would think a death, in this case, Laurent's, would be the end of a night. But that was wrong. Though Jasper had brought me inside to remove me from the commotion, it simply followed us inside.

Or, rather, _Irina_ followed us inside. Jasper was preoccupied with the bruise on my arm, which his keen eyesight had spotted despite the black lace sleeves. I simply hadn't heard her arrival…until she was right in front of me, shrieking in my face.

Her shrill voice was like a cold splash of water, waking me from the memories of James still running through my head.

 _"This is your fault!"_ Irina was speaking so quickly I could hardly make sense of her words. When they registered, I felt a hot anger begin to fill me.

"Excuse me?!" I shouted back at her. Jasper's hand on my arm kept me in place, or I would have taken a step forward. "How is it 'my fault'? I didn't even know vampires existed when Laurent was killing humans in Forks. That was on him, not me."

"Irina," Jasper cut in, his voice harder than I had ever heard it. She had opened her mouth to say something, but Jasper took her chance. "Back away. Surely you are not ignorant enough to misinterpret where my loyalties lie, and the wolves are still here. Obviously, they value and protect human life."

Perhaps she would have taken action, but Kate took the opportunity to appear, that electricity lighting her skin again. All it took was one touch on the arm to incapacitate her sister, who was quickly moved away from me by Carmen and Eleazer. Tanya and Carlisle, both leaders of their respective families, inserted themselves between where Irina was now held and Jasper and me.

While I was fighting to get my breathing slowed down, Jasper was rigid and still as stone. Still, I felt the warm, calming sensation he was flooding me with even if he wasn't feeling it himself. If everyone else's tense facial expressions were any indication, Jasper didn't extend the same kindness to the others filling the room.

"I'm sorry, Tanya, but I fail to see how Maisie had anything to do with the wolves' decision. I do apologize greatly for the unfortunate events that have unfolded tonight. While we have a tenuous treaty with the Quileute, this is an oversight on my part. I should have anticipated it, and I did not."

I hadn't realized Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Esme, still in their wedding finery, had come to stand behind us until Rosalie spoke over Tanya.

"It's not our fault. We have always upheld our side of the treaty. Maisie has never been hurt by any vampire in our coven. We can't help if others can't control themselves, even after Carlisle has issued a warning."

"Rosalie," Esme reprimanded, but Tanya was already waving the words away with her hand. I was just amazed that Rosalie had taken up for me.

"She isn't wrong. We knew what happened; Laurent told us. It was his choice to come here, knowing what he knew." Here, she looked over her shoulder to Irina, who was still pinned between Carmen and Eleazer despite her attempts to break free. "We will mourn his death and let it end there. We are guests in this territory. The human girl isn't to blame."

Irina's guttural scream made no mistake that she did not feel the same. But she was soon out of the house, carried out unwillingly. Kate followed close behind, her hands still coated in electricity as a precaution, I was sure. Tanya stayed behind a moment, though, offering the lot of us an apologetic smile.

"I'll talk to her," she promised. "Get it straightened out. I'm sorry for ruining your wedding."

Emmett snorted, but it wasn't his usual humorous sound. This one sounded almost condescending. "It will make for one we'll remember."

I had not realized Edward was outside until I followed Tanya's gaze there. He was talking with the huge black wolf, it seemed. Though Alice's visions couldn't touch the Quileute, Edward's telepathy was untouched.

"I'll just tell Edward goodbye, and then I'll be going. I apologize again."

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm sorry it has been so long! I have wanted to get this chapter out for literally a month, but I haven't been able to sit down and get it finished. I have been SO busy with work and school, but I am doing well and I hope all of you are too! I will get chapters out as soon as I can. I hope this action packed chapter makes up for the long absence. :)


	36. Chapter Thirty-Five

_-Chapter Thirty-Five-_

* * *

After the death of Laurent came another library apology from Leah.

"We didn't mean to scare you," she whispered to me.

"I wasn't scared of _you_." The others, yes, because I had no idea who they were. "Who was the huge black one?"

I didn't want to say _wolf_ , in case we were overheard.

"Sam." Leah punctuated her sentence with an eyeroll. "He's the alpha. We have to do what he says. He was chewing me out for sitting with you instead of helping with that leech."

The Quileute pack, I had learned from this conversation with Leah, had many nicknames for vampires. I guessed that was fair—Rosalie often referred to them as _'oversized rabid dogs'_ after all.

"When I realized we would be interrupting a wedding, I told Sam it could wait, but he didn't listen. Apparently, nobody else in the pack pays attention to the 'peace' part of the peace treaty. I'm sorry you were there when it happened."

"You had no way of knowing I would be. It's okay." Leah waved my words away with her hands.

"It's not, though. For more reasons that just because you were scared. It added fuel to Jacob's fire, the pack exposing ourselves to you, a human, the way we did."

"Oh," I said, the wheels in my head turning. "I guess that makes sense. I haven't seen Bella and Jacob around the library in weeks. I should have known he had phased. Which one was he?"

"That big chocolate brown one, almost as big as Sam. See, I keep telling him that you didn't count, because you knew before, thanks to your mosquito friends. He wants to tell Bella, and he's using that night as an excuse to try to wear Sam down into allowing it."

I wanted to say, _no, he can't,_ but I knew that would be hypocritical before the words could even leave my lips. Jasper had revealed the existence of werewolves…so, no, in the grand scheme of things, it would not be unfair for Jacob to do the same. Problematic, but Jasper had already done the reverse, so I had no place to argue against it.

"Has she been hounding him?" I asked instead. The annoyance was clear on Leah's face.

"Day and night. Billy unplugged the phone two days ago."

 _"What the hell…"_ I muttered to myself, more than Leah.

"Yeah, I know. It's annoying as hell. Here, will you give this to…I don't know her name. I only know Carlisle since he's the leader. The bride, could you give this to her? Somehow I've become the diplomat of this crazy pack."

"Rosalie," I told Leah, accepting the little envelope she held out to me. It must have been an apology note. The front of the envelope was blank. "I'll write her name on the front."

"Thanks. Jake told me to just write _Sleepless Beauty,_ but I didn't think that would help much. I'm trying to keep the peace part alive, even if none of the boys are. Only for your benefit, though, if you hadn't guessed."

"Thanks for that," I told her. "Carlisle and Esme will greatly appreciate it. I know y'all don't think so, but they really are good people."

"Yeah, keep drinking the Kool-Aid. I better go, before I get chewed out again for being late to our pack meeting. Don't make that face, it's just a strategy meeting, talking about how we handled things the other night."

"Oh, well good luck, then."

When I gave the apology note to Rosalie, she nearly ripped it up. Carlisle plucked it from her hand just in time, deftly opening the envelope. I don't know what the note said, but Carlisle nodded to himself as he read the words.

"What a kindness," Edward mocked, appearing at the top of the stairs. His hair was mussed, like he had been laying down. He must have heard the words Leah had written as Carlisle read them. "This pack has manners, at least, unlike previous packs."

" _Leah_ has manners," I corrected him. "But she told me something else, too. Jacob's trying to get permission from Sam to tell Bella the truth."

Edward's groan was reflected in the cold annoyance that settled over Rosalie's face.

"He better not be that stupid," Rosalie snapped. "We're supposed to leave in two weeks."

Emmett and Rosalie were sticking to their plan to go to New York. Summer was ending soon, and the new school year was approaching.

"We won't know until it happens, and there's no way around that," Carlisle reminded us gently. "All we can do is wait. We're lucky to have Maisie and her friendship with Leah Clearwater. Surely, we will know quickly, if it happens."

"The most useful human I know!" Emmett enthused, leaning over the couch to high-five me. I was laying down, intending to finish the last book on my summer reading list, but I reached a hand up for him. Jasper, Alice, and Esme were not home—all of them were hunting.

"You need to be thankful you didn't engage her last year, Edward, because apparently home girl is a stalker. Billy Black unplugged their phone to stop all the calling."

"What do you even do in that situation?" Emmett asked. "Her dad's chief of police. Can you even get a restraining order on her?"

"All I know is Jacob has more patience than I do, because I would have hit her by now."

"Maisie," Carlisle chastised me, much like my own father would have.

"That's mild compared to what I would have done at this point," Rosalie threw in.

Something had shifted in my relationship with Rosalie since the night of the wedding. I didn't really understand it. After their Denali cousins had left, Emmett had joked: _"We really need to teach Maise that she can't fight vampires."_

But Rosalie had taken up for me when Tanya and the others were there. I wouldn't call us friends, but she didn't roll her eyes at me as often as she usually did. She had even opened the door for me to come in on a few times, which had never happened before.

Jasper had told me to treat Rosalie's acceptance the same way one might treat a wild animal. _"Let her come to you. Any sudden movements will only spook her."_

I did feel bad about Laurent dying. That was horrible for Irina, of course. Losing Jasper right in front of me would have been traumatizing and world-shattering…I understood Irina's reaction, but that still didn't mean I liked it.

But then, does anybody like getting yelled at and accused of being at fault when they weren't even around?

I still apologized to Carlisle, and repeatedly to Jasper, when we were alone. I felt bad for yelling back at Irina.

"I shouldn't have done that," I told Jasper for the millionth time, two weeks after the fact. I was about to take a nap in Jasper's room, because Ava was being loud at my house. Jasper didn't actually have a bed, because he didn't technically need one, but he did have _the nicest futon_ I had ever seen. Since he didn't sleep, Jasper used this wonderful piece of furniture for lounging and reading.

"She was screaming at you and accusing you of things you had no knowledge about." Jasper had a book in one hand, the other running through my hair. "Didn't you tell me you were going to sleep?"

He was teasing me. I had told him I was going to take a nap an hour ago, and I kept talking to Jasper instead.

"Maybe I want to go to midnight practice exhausted, for an extra challenge." The last softball practice of the summer conditioning was always at midnight. I didn't know the rhyme or reason, but it was tradition.

"Do I need Alice to come tell you all the reasons why that would be a terrible idea?" He leaned over my head, bowing his own to kiss my forehead.

"You're a wonderful distraction," I told him, but I did close my eyes, trying to force myself to go to sleep. Between my efforts, and Jasper running his fingers soothingly through my hair, it must have worked. I woke up a handful of hours later, hearing my phone chime. I thought it was my alarm, but when I sleepily reached my hand down and grabbed my phone from the floor, I realized it was a text from Leah.

 _Bella bomb._

That's all the text said.

"What the hell?" I muttered to myself, because sometime while I slept, Jasper had left his bedroom. I was still staring at Leah's text when my alarm _did_ go off, making me jump in surprise.

I pushed myself up just as Alice appeared right beside me. She reached out and grabbed my hand.

"Come downstairs with me." Still not entirely awake, I let Alice pull me to my feet and lead me down the staircase. My phone started ringing halfway down.

"Don't answer until we get to the living room."

When we got there, everyone was there. Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett…the whole family. Later, I would be thankful that the whole event happened the day before Rosalie and Emmett had left for New York.

"Hello?" I asked when I answered, but I had woken up enough for my foggy mind to connect Leah's text with the call from this unknown number. Unbeknownst to Bella, I had her on speaker phone. A courtesy thing, even though I knew everyone would have been able to hear the conversation even without it.

There was a long pause, some incoherent rustling sound, and then Bella's voice came from the other side of the connection. "Is this Maisie?"

"Yeah. How much did you have to flirt with Mike before he gave you my number?" Another pause, in which Bella stuttered and a glare from Edward was not enough to keep Emmett from shaking with held back laughter.

"I didn't get it from Mike," Bella finally choked out.

"Don't lie, I know my friends better than you do. Why are you calling me?"

"You lied to me first. About the Cullens."

I rubbed at my eyes, trying to force myself all the way awake. How long had Jasper let me sleep? The sun had already slipped below the horizon, as evidenced from the huge floor to ceiling windows in the living room of the Cullen house.

"Did I, though?" I countered. To my memory, I hadn't told Bella any lies.

"You said they weren't dangerous!"

Bella was lucky she wasn't in the room I was currently in. I thought Rosalie's glare might make my phone catch fire.

"Yeah, they aren't, so that's not a lie."

"They aren't _human_ , Maisie."

I rolled my eyes upward, taking a good look at her ceiling. _I'm not awake enough for this bullshit_ , I thought. Edward must have agreed; suddenly he was before me, offering me a granola bar.

"Hey, how's Jacob?" I asked, unwrapping my granola bar and taking a bite of it. The crinkle of the wrapper caught her attention, giving Bella a reason to deflect the question.

"Are you eating right now?"

"Yes?"

There was such a long silence from Bella that I almost thought that she had hung up. I was reaching for my phone, to end the call, but a shake from Jasper's head stilled me. He was watching my phone the same way he had watched the werewolves flood his backyard: calculating, intense.

"Jake's fine," Bella eventually said.

"Good." This is where I took a gamble. I didn't know for sure that Bella knew Jacob was a werewolf, but I could put pieces together. Leah's comment about Jacob seeking permission, her cryptic text. It was easy enough to connect the dots. "I wondered how his phasing was going, with his being a werewolf and all."

Bella's sharp intake of breath was more satisfying than it probably should have been. The shift in my mood was enough to crack Jasper's hard expression, breaking his lips into a smirk.

"You know about that?" She asked, her voice small.

"Yeah, I know a lot of things, Bella, even if I didn't go to an advanced school in Arizona. I know a lot of things," I told her again. "Like how you shouldn't speak about subjects you're ignorant on. So, think about that before you call me hundreds of times."

Edward robbed me of the joy of hanging up on Bella when he leaned over the coffee table and did it himself.

"Aw, you made her cry," Alice murmured, her eyes coming back from the haze of the future. Bella must not have been with Jacob, if Alice was able to see any of her future.

"And?" Rosalie asked. "She should cry. If she's stupid enough to call Maisie to ask questions, then she's likely stupid enough to have loose lips. I have no problem flying right back from New York to handle it."

"It won't come to that," Carlisle decided. "We won't allow it. No instigating confrontations." That last part was directed at me, with a pointed look.

I held my hands up in innocence. " _She_ called _me._ "

I was curious how Jacob had worked around Sam's refusal to allow him to reveal the secret to Bella. Jasper had used the fact that I had prior experience, with Maria and James, to justify telling me. As far as I knew, though, the Quileute werewolves didn't have another faction within their realm that made meals of humans.

"No encouraging confrontations, then," Carlisle conceded. I saved Bella's number to my phone, though, just in case. It wasn't my fault that she didn't bother to call with her number hidden.

I didn't want Bella to die. That would have been terrible, and annoying as I found her, I knew she didn't deserve that. But her persistence in inserting herself into a world she wasn't willing to understand was entertaining for me, so I wasn't complaining.

Jasper dropped me off, driving my car back to my house for me because I was still kind of sleepy. He really did let me sleep longer than I intended, but at least I wouldn't get worn out too much from the midnight practice.

I sat with him in the dark of my car.

"I take it back," he told me, holding my jaw in one hand and tipping my head gently back to kiss me. "Perhaps you are too combative for your own good. No wonder you bonded so well with Kate."

"I shot a vampire months ago, before I even knew that's what he was, and you're just now deciding that?"

"Allow me to reword my statement, then." I could see the glint of his smile in the pale moonlight. "I've always known you're too combative and impulsive for your own good…but—this could be my own bias—you make it into an endearing quality."

"Huh, you know, I do like that wording better."

He kissed me again in the dark haven of my car. Though Jasper was hesitant to ever alter my own emotions, he did have a habit I loved: diffusing me with his own. His deepest and truest affection came not in physical touch or words, but in a spreading warmth that started in my chest, just over my heart, and filled my whole body like sunshine.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for all of the lovely reviews on the last chapter! It warms my heart to know you guys haven't given up on me and this story, even if I am terrible at adhering to any kind of update schedule.

So. The action will be picking up soon, from here on out. If you remember in the prologue, Maisie states that she sees Maria for the first time when she is 10, and again when she is older. _This isn't a spoiler since I already stated it_ , but I want y'all to be ready. Maisie herself is such a lighthearted character. It's the reason, I think, that it was so easy to write her as fast friends with Emmett and Alice. Her ability to turn serious moments flippant while still getting things done is a fun trait to write about.

I'm excited to explore all the implications I have set up. Between Maisie's friendship with Leah, the Cullen coven being partially divided with Emmett and Rosalie relocating to New York, and Bella and her tendency to make situations worse than they originally are...I think a lot of fun chapters to write are coming up!


	37. Chapter Thirty-Six

**_-Chapter Thirty-Six-_**

* * *

The day before my senior year started was a bright and sunny Sunday. Because of this sun, Carlisle sent me as a diplomat of sorts in his place to deliver an invitation to Sam Uley.

"What is it?" I asked, looking at the envelope Carlisle had pressed into my hand. The paper was cream colored and thick. Sam Uley's name was written on the front, in Carlisle's natural hand. He used a more modern script at work, but this writing was almost like calligraphy, with all of its loops and flourishes.

"An invitation to talk. The younger wolves—Leah, Jacob, and some others—phased early, because Edward was so tightly toeing the treaty lines. I would like to explain that and apologize. Additionally, I would like to speak to him about Rosalie and Emmett's wedding night."

After the Denali coven had left, so, too, did the wolves. There was no time to speak. Carlisle had given them some time, a cooling down period, before asking for the meeting.

I tucked the invitation into the pocket of my denim jacket.

"You're not going to discuss…other things, are you?" Edward appeared at the top of the stairs, worrying at his nailbeds as he looked at Carlisle. He had been in his bedroom, but I guess his worries over the whole thing was enough to draw him out. Edward had been worrying about everything as the school year drew nearer, no matter that Alice was exhausting herself looking into the future for him.

"There's no need to mention the way Bella's blood calls to you," Carlisle stated. "You haven't acted on it, nor will you, I have faith in that."

Edward sighed, his shoulders drooping. Jasper reached out and clapped him on the back, murmuring something too low for me to hear. Alice appeared, too, slipping her hand into Edward's and giving it a squeeze.

"See, I told you, Teddy." She drew him down the stairs, dancing along the sunbeams until she had led Edward to his piano in the living room.

"It's a great advantage, having someone who can both walk in the sunlight and on Quileute land." Jasper said from where he stood on the second floor, leaning against the banister. He refused to come down the stairs and into the living room, which was awash with warm sunlight.

Carlisle and Esme—and obviously Edward and Alice—did not share his qualms. They moved through the light without inhibition, giving me my first look at how radiantly vampires shone in sunlight. It was otherworldly…I could see why the Quileute ancestors had assumed the vampires in the Cold Ones legend were gods of some sort.

"You know," I told Jasper, tipping my head back to look at him a story above me. "You can walk in the sunlight, too. It doesn't hurt anything other than your pride."

Jasper leaned toward me, over the banister, smiling down. He shook his head emphatically, sending his hair swishing all around his face. I rolled my eyes at him. I knew it would have been a deadlock with him, trying to get him to come downstairs.

Instead, I went to him, climbing the stairs to truly see him for a moment before leaving for the Quileute reservation. There were no shafts of sunlight here on the second story, but there was still enough sun that Jasper's skin glimmered softly. I kindly didn't point that out to him.

"I would go with you, if I could." Jasper took my hand in his, raising it to his lips.

"I'll be fine," I reassured him. "Leah will be there."

Jasper nodded at that. Were it not for Leah, I thought Jasper might have chanced the sunlight to follow me to the treaty line. But Leah wouldn't let any harm come to me, I was sure.

"Be careful," he reminded me anyway. "Alice can't see you. Try to keep your sarcasm to yourself."

He punctuated the words with a kiss, as if he were sealing my mouth.

"I make no promises, but I'll try to behave."

* * *

I sent Leah a text before I drove to the Quileute land. She called me immediately, giving me directions to her own house.

 _"If the_ 'men' _in this situation are going to make us the diplomats, then we're making our own rules,"_ she told me over the phone. I was sure Sam wouldn't be too thrilled about that.

Still, I parked on the street in front of Leah's house. There was no need to go inside, though—the pack was outside, in human form.

I recognized Jacob from the library, though all of the roundness of his face was gone now, as was his long hair. His features were all sharp plains, his hair close cropped like the other boys. All of the boys were shirtless, too, which showed of their matching tattoos.

Though she was far from the alpha, Leah was standing in front of the rest of the pack. Not far behind her stood a younger boy who looked similar to her—Seth, her brother, I was sure. As I walked toward them, an older boy overtook Leah and Seth.

Sam Uley, I was sure, though I had never seen him up close.

"Leah said you had something for me."

Despite Jasper's gentle scolding earlier, I couldn't stop myself from bristling at his cold approach. I felt my back tighten, and before I could stop myself, I said, "Only if you're Sam Uley."

He regarded me without speaking, giving me a once over. His eyes paused on my face, flicking to my scar. Blowing my breath, I held my hand out.

"Maisie Thompson," I prompted him with my own name. After a beat, he accepted my handshake. His skin burned hot against mine, his hand entirely engulfing my own.

"Sam Uley," he finally confirmed.

"Then, yes, this is yours. Carlisle sent it." I took the invitation from my pocket, holding it out to Sam. Standing so close to him was like standing next to Emmett; I had to tilt my head all the way back to clearly see his face.

"The blonde man? Their leader?"

"I guess you could call him that." Sam tucked the envelope into his own pocket. "But it's not his name."

"I assume you know what it says." I shoved my hands into my pockets and shrugged.

"It's against the law to read other people's mail."

"You still think we're people. Good. I guess you aren't too far gone."

Leah strode forward behind him. "Leave her alone, Sam."

He was still scrutinizing my face. "Don't tell me—"

Sam was cut off by Leah. "No, _you_ don't start making accusations. Maisie has always had that scar, long before the Cullens moved to Forks."

"They didn't leave it," I told him.

"But a vampire did." I couldn't deny it. "Maybe it was fate, then, that you fell in with the bloodsuckers."

"Maybe." If Sam was trying to get a rise out of me, I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. I could see the questioning look on Leah's face, but I would have to fill her in later. I didn't really want to be there any longer, not with the weight of Sam's scrutiny. "I'll let Carlisle know you got the letter"

I turned and walked back to my car, not bothering to look back.

* * *

Later, while I was painting my nails in preparation for my first day of school in the morning, I talked to Leah on speaker phone.

That would have been a gamble, if it weren't for the fact that Mom and Dad had taken Ava out to dinner. It was her first day tomorrow, too. Ava was not excited at all, so the dinner was a bribe to get her to go to kindergarten in the morning. She loved going to restaurants.

As for Gunner, the sound of Fortnite bleeding through our shared bedroom wall let me know there was no way he would overhear our conversation.

"So this Maria, like, _marked_ you?" Leah asked, sounding simultaneously disgusted and confused.

"That's what Jasper calls it. Apparently, it's something they do in the South, where there are whole armies of vampires."

"Damn. I'm going to tell Jake to stop complaining about all the local mosquitoes if there are actual armies in other parts of the country."

"How does the pack thing even work?" I asked Leah, holding my hand out to inspect my nails. I was trying to decide if I wanted to top the pink with glitter or not. "Like, how is the alpha chosen?"

"Bloodlines. Or, it's supposed to, anyway, but not this time or whatever. Jacob _should_ be the alpha, because of his ancestry, but he doesn't want it, so Sam is. That's not even the most annoying part. Let me tell you about freakin' _imprinting._ "

Here, Leah launched into a story that involved herself, Sam, and one of her cousins named Emily Young. From the bitterness in Leah's voice, it was obvious she wasn't over the fact that she had been dating Sam when he 'imprinted' on Emily. I didn't blame her, either. I would be hurt and bitter, too, if Jasper suddenly told me that we couldn't date anymore because he had imprinted on a stranger and that she was his soulmate.

"So, this imprinting thing, it happens to _everyone_ in the pack?" I asked. Leah blew her breath.

"Eventually, supposedly. But it's only happened to Sam so far."

 _I'll bet Bella loves that,_ I thought, meanly, to myself.

"The bloodline thing, though. You said Jacob is supposed to be the alpha of the pack, right? But he doesn't want to or whatever?"

"Yeah. I mean, I can't blame him. Sam has to put up with a lot of crap, especially from the younger ones like Seth. It's harder for the younger ones to control their phasing. Sometimes Seth will phase for no reason, when he's not even mad or meaning to or anything."

"Have a kid with Jacob and then in, like, sixteen years you can plan a coup and usurp Sam."

Leah laughed before she answered. "I would rather die! And I probably would, too. I bet Charlie Swan would help his kid cover up my murder if I dared do something like that."

"Oh, is Officer Swan in the Jacob Black fan club, too?"

"Yeah, he thinks Jake is the greatest thing to ever walk this earth. Seems Bella is more like her dad than she would like to admit."

Leah wasn't the only one who thought my idea about having a kid with Jacob was funny. When Jasper came to me that night, I could tell from the suppressed humor in his face that he had overheard our conversation.

"I think that using a child to overthrow Sam Uley that way veers dangerously close to genetic warfare," he murmured to me, drawing me into his lap. He positioned me so that my thighs straddled him on either side of his waist.

"All's fair in love and war, right? Besides, how else is Leah supposed to overthrow the patriarchy as the only lady wolf?" I played with the buttons on Jasper's shirt. It was a useless ploy to cover up my reaction to our current seating arrangement—I knew well that Jasper could hear the faster tempo of my heart.

"I'm sorry to say that your choice of tactic has proven rather faulty in the past." He skimmed his hands upward, over my hips and waist, then back down to the tops of my thighs, making my heart only beat faster still.

"You're going to get us in trouble one of these days," I whispered to him, finding my voice annoyingly breathy as a result of his own tactics. With my hands still resting against his chest, I felt his chuckle rumble through.

Jasper only smirked and pulled me closer still, closing the gap between us so he could kiss me.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello, lovies! I have received some really kind reviews lately that have surprised me and made my entire week. I am always so grateful for your reviews! It makes me so happy to know that people are enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it!


	38. Chapter Thirty-Seven

**_-Chapter Thirty-Seven-_**

* * *

Maisie was radiant when Jasper picked her up from the first day of her senior year of high school. Then again, Jasper always thought Maisie was radiant. Forks' overcast weather be damned; the sun was always shining, as far as he was concerned, when Maisie was in a good mood.

"Have fun at school?" He prompted her. Maisie slid his motorcycle helmet over his head, kissing him in response.

"Alice is the greatest," she whispered to him. "I have three hours of _nothing_ in the middle of the day. Office aid period, lunch, and study hall."

Maisie had finished her last foreign language credit with Jasper the previous year, which left an open period in her class schedule. Hence the office aid position.

"Feels like Edward had a good day, too, what with his schedule being a polar opposite from Bella's." His brother had been wound so tightly in the weeks leading up to school that it gave Jasper headaches that he couldn't shake. Never mind how many times Alice had reassured him that she had been successful in breaking into the Forks High computer system and altering his schedule. Edward had

She had rearranged Maisie's, too, just for fun. Apparently, it done the trick with pleasing Maisie.

Usually, Maisie's happiness was infectious for Jasper. He spent a majority of his time resisting the emotions of others, not liking how muddled he could become with the influence. Esme's love, Maisie's happiness…they were some of the only emotions that Jasper let consume him.

But even the glowing warmth of Maisie's joy wasn't enough to dampen the odd, anxious feeling that had hounded Jasper for days. He couldn't place it as it swelled in him again while he helped Maisie with her helmet and held her steady when she got onto the motorcycle behind him.

Edward insisted the anxious tones of his thoughts were from the confrontation with their Denali cousins. Jasper knew why Edward was making the assumption—anxiety had colored his moods since that night. This felt different to him, though. He wasn't really all that worried about Irina or her hissy fit.

This anxiety felt almost dangerous. He scanned the ever-present tree lines before them but saw nothing.

Intuitive, that's what this anxiety felt like. As if, subconsciously, he knew something was coming, but he didn't know what. Jasper was so distracted by these thoughts that he missed Maisie talking to him, until she mischievously slipped her hand under his sweater.

"Hey," her voice had a teasing tone in it. She splayed her little hand against his stomach, the warmth of her skin melting into his own. He knew she felt the shiver that ran through him at her sudden touch. Maisie knew exactly what she was doing. "What's a girl gotta do to make you pay some attention to her?"

"Well, that's a good start." He had to almost shout for Maisie to hear him over the grumbling motorcycle engine.

Laughing, Maisie withdrew her hand and pulled his shirt back down, into place.

He couldn't put his unease into words, especially when there didn't appear to be a cause for it. Instead, he took advantage of the still-warm weather and turned his motorcycle toward his favorite spot in the woods. Surely it was only the heightened unease of everyone in his family, with the upcoming meeting with the Quileute wolf pack. That was the only explanation he could find.

Maisie knew well where they were going, he was sure. She accepted his hand after he parked, to help her down, and didn't complain when he took her backpack.

"Gunner says you spoil me."

"It's basic manners," Jasper countered, taking her hand as they walked into the woods. "Perhaps he would be able to keep a girlfriend if he took some notes."

Maisie smothered her laugh with the palm of her free hand. The path to Jasper's spot was well-trodden by their footprints now, so it didn't take them long at all to reach it. Mindful of how easily Maisie's gray skirt could show grass stains, Jasper settled her carefully on his lap.

She was taller than him, now, propped on his lap with her legs straddling his hips. For once it was Maisie who dipped her head, cupping her hands to his face when she kissed him.

Jasper's unusual unease was forgotten, at least during this time he spent kissing Maisie in the little forest alcove.

* * *

They met with the wolves on Saturday, in a little clearing in the woods not far from the treaty line. Alice had her phone on speaker in her pocket, so that Emmett and Rosalie might listen in. Esme and Carlisle had insisted that Maisie be present for the meeting, too.

 _She's in this family now,_ Esme had said. Carlisle had agreed: _This is her world, too._

In the end, it was a good thing that Maisie was there, because so was Bella. Maisie never would have let Jasper hear the end of it if she hadn't been there, but Bella was.

"We really couldn't have done this inside?" Maisie mumbled, holding onto Jasper's arm for balance as she knocked a clump of dirt off her boot.

"I thought it would be best to let Sam choose the meeting spot." Carlisle was trying to keep things as civilized as possible. Were Emmett there, Jasper had no doubt he would have been theatrically yawning by now. He never did think that peace meetings with new packs were much fun.

"They're coming," Jasper announced. He had been listening carefully for the telltale rustles of leaves. Edward was listening, too.

"They're still in their human forms, too." Edward released a small sigh of relief. "Even the young ones. That bodes well."

The Quileute pack trickled from the tree line slowly. Sam headed the advance, with some of the larger, older boys flanking him. Leah was the leader of the second wave, smiling at Maisie when they met each other's eyes. The younger wolves came next and, finally, slowly, Jacob Black emerged from the forest with Bella in tow.

Had his brother had blood, Jasper was sure it would have all drained from Edward's face at the sight of the human girl.

"You didn't smell her?" Jasper asked him, quick and low, so that the wolves wouldn't hear.

"Too many dogs," Edward whispered back. "Her blood is strong, but not _that_ strong that it would beat out a whole pack of mutts."

Maisie's mood had turned annoyed, almost hostile, at the sight of Bella. Jasper wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her into his side. He dipped his head to kiss the top of hers.

Of course, Maisie wasn't the only one on edge. All of wolves were uneasy, their shifting and fidgeting betraying their nerves as much as their emotions. Slowly, Jasper sent out a wave of calm, enveloping every person in the clearing into it. He felt Maisie's shoulders relax under his arm, and she leaned more fully into him.

Sam Uley, though, was keen, and none too pleased with Jasper's quiet intervention.

"What was that?" He asked. "And who did it? Your mind reader?"

Edward glared at Sam across the clearing. There was no way for the rest of them to know what was going through Sam's head, but Edward didn't look pleased by it.

"No," Carlisle said evenly. He raised his arms a little, hands palm up. Not quite a surrendering gesture, but definitely one meant to convey openness and peace.

"Edward is my only child that is gifted with telepathy. That shift in mood was courtesy of Jasper. He is an empath, able to feel and manipulate the emotions of others. I can assure you he meant no offense just now; he was simply trying to ease any tensions before our talk began."

Bella Swan was staring resolutely at the ground, even with Carlisle announcing Edward's mindreading capabilities. There was a deep blush spreading through her cheeks, though, exposing herself as well as any spoken words or overheard thoughts would have, had they had access to either.

That blush also caused a spike in amusement in both Maisie and Leah. _No wonder the two of them were friends._

Edward's thirst also spiked suddenly. _Damned girl._ Jasper swallowed back the venom in his mouth and dipped his head again, taking a sniff of Maisie's hair to right himself.

"So, all of you have some kind of super powers?"

"Not quite," Carlisle said gently, despite Sam's harsh tone. "All vampires share some common traits. A thirst for blood, obviously, which can be curbed with a diet of animal blood substituted for the more traditional food source. Exceptional strength and speed, heightened senses. Some of our kind are doubly gifted, such as Edward's telepathy, Jasper's empathy, and Alice's clairvoyance."

Sam regarded each family member in turn as they were named, his face souring more with each of Carlisle's explanation.

"Others might choose to use such gifts in a malevolent way, but as my family chooses to live among humans, that is not the case here."

"You're not supposed to expose yourselves, right?" Jacob Black piped up from his seat on the other couch. "My dad told me that's one of your laws or whatever. So, why does she get to know?"

Maisie leveled her gaze at Jacob, meeting his eyes straight on. She nodded her head toward Bella but didn't speak. Thankfully.

"Maisie is an exception." Here, Carlisle's tone turned ever so slightly harder, leaving no room for arguments. "Other vampires exposed themselves to her prior to her relationship with Jasper. She has long been in this world."

"Yeah, yeah." With a wave of his hand, Sam shooed away both Jacob's questions and Carlisle's answers. "Leah explained all of that to us. It's been almost a year, and none of you have turned her. So, at least I know you remember the treaty. But that still leaves a question open, doesn't it?"

Jasper could feel Maisie's eyes on his face, but he kept his gaze on the pack. He hated them, in that moment, more than he usually did. Across the clearing, Bella's breath hitched as realization hit her.

 _Would Carlisle change Maisie?_ He refused to think that such a duty might ever fall to him. Jasper knew well that he would kill Maisie if he ever attempted. He glared at Sam for bringing up that possibility, one that he hadn't even broached with Maisie in private.

Carlisle was also looking at Jasper. It seemed that his father was waiting for him to speak. Jasper delayed, though, and Maisie took the opportunity to fill the silence.

"If that was a choice I made," she said, her voice even despite the fact that her heart had sped up considerably at the question Sam posed, "I'm having a hard time seeing how that would be any of your business."

"The treaty clearly says that no vampires in this Cullen can feed on or change a human. As soon as either happens, the treaty is over."

"Only within the geographical area that the treaty covers," Carlisle reminded gently. "If that is something Maisie wishes in the future, we would take care to make sure it happened away from here, in respect of the treaty."

"What about that scar on her face?" Sam cut in. "A vampire still left it, at some point. Marked her. What if that vampire comes back for her?"

"Kill the vampire," Jasper said simply. "Either of us. It wouldn't matter, so long as the threat is eliminated."

He didn't bother to explain that he knew the vampire who had left Maisie's scar well. There was no need in his opinion. In fact, the less the wolves knew about him or his family, the better. His tone must have left no room for arguing. Sam nodded, turning back to Carlisle.

"Your letter said you wanted to apologize?"

"Yes." Carlisle took one small step forward, mindful of the territory line. "My family and I _would_ like to apologize. First, for the sped-up phasing of your youngest members. I did not realize this was a possible side effect when I gave Edward permission to toe the territory line. You see, he has quite the range with his telepathy. When Bella here was not yet in on the secret, and understandably curious and frightened, we wanted to make sure she wouldn't expose us."

"And if she had?" The spat came from Jacob, not Sam. Carlisle's impatience spiked, but one would never guess it from his voice.

"Then we would have left to avoid exposure. Alice's clairvoyance does not extend to those who carry the phasing gene. I don't know the rhyme or reason behind it, but for our own protection, we relied instead on Edward's abilities.

"Secondly." Carlisle continued, "I would like to apologize for the behavior of our cousins during Rosalie and Emmett's wedding. Laurent, the man your pack took out, was…romantically involved with one of our Denali cousins. Understandably, Irina did not take his death well, though both my immediate family and the rest of our extended family know it was what had to be done. I wanted you to know that we hold no ill-will toward your pack due to it."

Since the initial question about changing Maisie, Jasper could feel several pairs of dark eyes on his face. He refused to acknowledge any of them. Maisie, though, was getting more and more annoyed. She slid her arm around his waist, pulling herself closer yet to him.

The affection served a dual purpose: daring the pack to comment further while also offering him reassurance. Jasper knew that was how Maisie intended it, because though her annoyance was there, so, too, was a fierce loyalty.

"I'm glad we're all on the same page," Sam murmured. With a tilt of his head, he silently motioned for his pack to retreat.

Thankfully, Rosalie didn't speak until the wolves were well out of earshot. "What a classy bunch of mutts."

"Maybe you and Bella can be friends," Emmett teased, his voice nearly bleeding over Rosalie's. "Form a human club among all the supernatural."

"Um, no thanks, I don't hate myself."

Even though the joke came easily from her lips, Maisie's mood was only souring in the wake of the meeting.

"I'll drive you home," Jasper whispered to Maisie. Rosalie was busy berating Edward, which made Esme scold both of them, so no one was paying much attention to them. Before Jasper could drive her home, though, first they had to return to the Cullen house for her car. Knowing the routine, Maisie hopped onto his back, wrapping his arms around his shoulders so he could run them home.

She was tensely quiet the entire trip. Even when Jasper held the passenger door open for her, Maisie didn't speak as she slid into the car. It wasn't until Jasper was nearly at her driveway, not that far from his own, that she spoke.

"I don't want to go home yet." Maisie told him, her hand reaching out to touch his on the steering wheel.

"Then we won't," he agreed, driving past her house. "Anywhere you want to go?"

Maisie shrugged, watching the sun set from the window. Sunsets in Forks were often something to look at. Though the sun didn't often break through the clouds, but that didn't stop the sun from occasionally painting the clouds. It was one of those nights, the sun blazing a path to the horizon.

Jasper drove aimlessly, in circles around town. Maisie let her head loll against her seat. The longer she was quiet, the more it tortured Jasper. Never had he wished so badly that he had Edward's mind reading abilities instead. Eventually, Maisie turned her head to look at him through the dark of the car.

"What Jacob said…"

"I wouldn't ever ask that of you," he told her, when her sentence drifted off into nothing. She pushed herself up, leaning toward him slightly.

"It wouldn't, like, bother you?"

Maisie had been fully in his life for nearly a whole year. He considered it the best year he had ever spent on Earth, even better than the year that Alice saved him. Even if those years with Maisie were numbered, by her own choice, it wouldn't change his mind.

"No," he told her honestly, softly. Jasper pulled to the side of the road, not that he needed to really watch the road as he drove. But he knew it made Maisie nervous when he didn't, and he very much wanted to look at her face just then.

"Really?" Maisie asked, chewing at her lip.

"Truly. You're different from the rest of my family…you get a choice, just like you told Jacob, and that choice is _yours_. I can't make it for you. I don't want to. I just want you to be happy." He choked on his other words, hating to think of a time when Maisie was irreversibly gone from him. He hoped, instead, that what he had said was enough.

Slowly, a smile spread over Maisie's face. She leaned forward, bringing her lips to his.

"You're too good for me," she murmured when she pulled away from him. Jasper cupped her face in his hands, kissing her on the forehead.

"That's not possible. I simply love you."

He felt her cheeks lift beneath his hands, an even wider smile forming. "You said you love me."

It was the first time he had told her with words, though Jasper had been telling her quietly for months. Every time he diffused her with his own feelings—a swelling in his chest, a bright inner warmth, the unmistakable feeling of _home_ —he was telling her.

Had he the ability, Jasper probably would have blushed. "You knew that already."

"Yeah," Maisie agreed. She couldn't deny that she knew. "But you _said_ it."

She was still smiling wide as can be when she told him, _I love you, too_.

* * *

 **A/N:** I guess I had to address the mortality issue eventually! Only time will tell about Maisie's full opinion, though.


	39. Chapter Thirty-Eight

**_-Chapter Thirty-Eight-_**

* * *

With her access to Edward greatly reduced, Bella's focus was shifted more to me after the meeting in the woods. I was great at ignoring all of her imploring looks, because she didn't have the courage to actually say anything to me.

To Edward's great dismay, and my own entertainment, one day I told Bella to ' _bite me'_. I genuinely thought she might have fainted, which only added fuel to my fire.

"When we end up in a war, it's going to be because of your mouth," he chastised me in the hallway afterward.

"Oh, calm down, grandpa," I whispered back to him. Sometimes I called Edward 'grandpa', because he was the only one in the family who truly acted like his original generation. He was very old-fashioned. "She's no Helen of Troy. I doubt a war is going to start over just her."

Bella was easy to ignore, though, once you got used to her. I had other things to focus on, though. Like Jasper's odd moods.

He was distracted so often. Not quite on edge, but definitely…off, somehow. He couldn't place the feelings himself, and Alice's visions weren't showing him anything.

"I don't know what it is," he told me, rubbing his hand down his face. True to the story he told my dad last school, Jasper was taking online classes, which meant that we still spent time on school nights doing homework together.

"You're sure you're not picking it up from someone else?" I meant his uneasy mood as of late. He shook his head emphatically.

"I'm not around many people now," he reminded me. It was true, and I knew he preferred it this way. He hated going to school, being around so many humans. "It's easier to pinpoint without a sea of emotions. It's not coming from any of you."

His wording—'any of you'—encompassed myself and his family, I knew. "Not my family, either?"

"No," he chuckled. "Ava's only five. Not quite old enough to project her own hatred of 'big girl school' to be affecting me."

Jasper wasn't wrong there. Ava was hating kindergarten. Preschool had been a lot of playing in learning centers, and Ava was not adjusting well to having to sit in her seat and learn to read and count.

When Gunner or I were in a funk, my mom always offered us food and told us to try sleeping it off. Obviously, we were overgrown infants, but it was solid advice. Both me and my brother were prone to moodiness when we were hungry or tired, but I couldn't really offer this advice to Jasper. For one thing, he didn't sleep. For another, Jasper always kept himself satiated with animal blood.

I leaned over my bed and ran my fingers through his hair, since I couldn't offer any verbal reassurance. I was surprised these feelings weren't coming from Edward, but Jasper insisted that Alice's little hacking trick and creating space for Edward had greatly bolstered his confidence.

But I would be lying if I didn't say that I had felt some of Jasper's unease, too. I wasn't sure if I was just feeding off his moods from spending so much time with him, or what, but there were a few instances where I felt almost…watched?

Never when I was with Jasper, though. Always when I was alone, or at least only with other humans.

"Hey, space cadet," Gunner said to me one day after school, when I was feeling the unease Jasper kept describing to me. Apparently, Gunner had been talking to me and I was ignoring him. My attention was focused on the line of trees that banked the student parking lot, fixated on the fact that it almost felt like someone was watching me from there. He snapped his fingers in front of my face. "I asked if you wanted to go get milkshakes before we go home."

"Oh, yeah," I told him, climbing into his Jeep. "Let's go."

Gunner's eyes were this certain shade of hazel, which he could turn piercing when he stared at you just the right way. Now was one of those times.

"What's with you lately?" He asked. "You've been so spacy. Are you and Jasper fighting or something?"

"No," I told him, waving his words away. "That's all fine."

We had always been close, my brother and I. That's what happens when you're only ten months apart in age. I knew he would see through me if I tried to tell him anything that wasn't even kind of true.

"It's just…senior year," I told him in a bit of a white lie. By _senior year_ I really meant, _I'm dating a vampire and never considered the fact that he's immortal and I'm not until a few weeks ago._ In full honesty, though, I told him, "It's a lot to think about, you know?"

"Will you go with him and Edward?" Gunner asked. "To Alaska?"

I shrugged. I really didn't know what I wanted, and that was part of the problem. Just like Jasper had told me himself, I had choices. But I didn't know what kind of choices I wanted to make.

"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore, it feels like. I kind of hate it."

"Okay, so. Drop out of school before senior year to avoid the existential crisis, got it."

"You're so dumb," I told Gunner, laughing despite myself. I let him buy me a milkshake, and it did kind of make me feel better. We drove around until we were done, so we wouldn't have incriminating evidence when we got home. We didn't bother to get Ava one.

I loved Jasper. I did. But I loved my family, too. If I underwent the change to become a vampire, I would lose things like this…getting milkshakes with Gunner or watching silly videos in bed with Ava. Family dinners, holidays. The way things were, I could have both Jasper _and_ my family. Why would I want to give that up?

The feeling, for both Jasper and myself, was pervasive. It lasted into October, drawing near to the date of James' death.

"Do you _think_ that's it?" I asked. Both of us were going quietly crazy from it, I think. If Edward was aware of it from our thoughts, he made no comment. Jasper and I, we were left as an island in this ocean of unusual doubt.

"Maybe?" He didn't sound convinced, and truthfully, neither was I. For the life of us, we couldn't place it, but soon we wouldn't have to.

* * *

The day started normal enough, I suppose. The sun was out—not common for late October, but also fortunate. Lauren, Jess, and I were going on a hike. The sun would feel good, better than the usual ever-present damp of Forks' forests.

I'm not even sure why we went hiking. We didn't even like the outdoors that much, but it had been Jessica's idea.

"How far are we going?" Lauren asked. "Just to the river and back, right?"

"Yeah, just to Calawah. I thought it might be fun."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Weren't Mike and Ty supposed to fish in the Calawah today?"

I must have had Jess there, because her face started to burn red, making us laugh. It was weird, because here in the forest with Jess and Lauren, I didn't feel on edge at all. But I should have.

We hiked all the way to the river where, lo and behold, Mike and Ty were indeed fishing. Funny how that worked out.

"Fancy meeting you guys here!" Ty yelled at us. He propped his pole against a rock, abandoning it to greet Lauren with a kiss.

"Funny, isn't?" I couldn't help but tease. "We had no idea y'all would be out here!"

"I don't know," Mike said, catching on to my tone. He leaned forward, dipping his hand into the river water. With a quick flick of his wrist, Mike splashed the cold water toward us. "I seem to remember telling Jess we were going."

"Do you not remember what happened last time we mixed you, Maisie, and water?" Lauren snapped. This only added fuel to Mike's fire. He waded into the river, flinging his arms to send waves of water our way.

"Stop it!" Jess squealed, but we were all laughing. Tyler ran into Mike's spray, tackling him into the water. They came up drenched, their waterlogged clothing making them slow to climb over the river bank.

"I'll get Maisie if you get Jess!" Ty yelled. Noticeably, Lauren was left out of this game of chase, and duly so. We were all well aware that Tyler would have been in huge trouble with Ty if he got her soaked.

I ran from Tyler, making a weaving pattern through the trees. Here was my mistake, running as fast as I could from Ty. His clothes were heavy from his dip in the Calawah, slowing him down enough that it wasn't hard for me to pull far ahead of him.

I shouldn't have.

The adrenaline of the run made it so I didn't notice, at first, that I was bleeding. It wasn't until the burning set in that I realized anything was wrong. That's what made me stop.

I raised my hand to my cheek, and my fingers came away red. Somehow, I simultaneously heard my blood rushing in my ears and a high-pitched ringing. My vision started to go fuzzy at the edges, but I had no idea if that had to do with the fear or with the venom burning in the fresh cut on my cheek.

The forest fell away so entirely, and my swimming vision was so focused on my blood on my hand, that I jumped when Tyler touched my arm.

"Hey," he said, giving me a little shake. I had left my phone in Alice's car. I could only imagine how many calls or texts I had missed from Jasper. "You good?"

"Huh?" I asked, turning slowly toward him. "Oh, yeah. I cut my face."

"I see that." Tyler was looking at me funny. I didn't blame him. I was sure I looked like an idiot, standing there looking at my hand.

"Sorry, it kind of, like, burns?" It came out as a question because it didn't _kind of, like, burn_. It burned _a lot_. More than I remembered it burning the first time, enough that it made me grit my teeth. "I was trying to remember what I could have cut it on."

"Well, c'mon, you klutz. We have iodine in Mike's tackle box, let's go clean it before you end up infected and

When we got back, I let Tyler dab at my cheek with the iodine. I had no idea if it did anything. My cheek was already burning, so there was no way for me to gauge if the iodine made a difference. Instead, I focused on paying attention to my friends instead of the weird things going on within my body.

Mike's voice seemed entirely too loud as he teased me, but I tried to smile anyway. I clenched my teeth so hard together that I thought they might break against each other. Somehow, I followed my friends back out of the forest without falling to the ground and crying like I wanted to.

I was also trying not to freak out. Despite the fire taking place on my face, there was ice in my veins. Surely, this new cut was the work of Maria. Who else would have any reason to do this? Or the expertise? But why? Why now?

It felt like my cheek was getting hotter and hotter and hotter, like it might burn through my skin and gums and straight into my skull. And then…it just stopped. _That_ definitely didn't happen the first time.

I didn't realize how badly I was holding my breath until it all rushed out of my lungs as the fire burned itself out.

Though I was anxious to get back to the car—and my phone, so I could reassure Jasper that I was okay—I was also anxious that she would come back. I wanted to know if Alice had been able to see anything.

Of course this would happen on a day like today, when the sun was shining and Jasper, Alice, and Edward were far off, hunting their day away. I practically threw myself into the backseat of the car, picking up my phone and typing as fast as I could.

I had been right. Missed texts and calls from both Alice and Jasper, but not as many as I had feared. I felt like that boded well for me and my current situation. Before I even bothered to read anything Alice or Jasper had sent, I typed out a message to Jasper.

 _I'm okay,_ I told him. _I'm not hurt. Was it her? I didn't actually see anything._

 _Yes._ His answer was immediate. _What about your cheek?_

So, Alice had seen. _It's fine. Not bleeding anymore. It doesn't hurt._

Truly, it didn't. Maybe it stung just a little, and I knew it was tender because it did hurt a little to talk, but it wasn't burning anymore. That's all that I cared about.

 _Ali said you're in the clear. Come over tonight? So Carlisle can see?_

"Geez, Maisie, I know Jasper's hot but that doesn't mean you can ignore us to text your beau!" Lauren threw her water bottle at me from the front seat. I batted it away with my hand.

 _"Sorry!"_ I told her. "I'm just spreading the news about my newest dumb injury."

I watched Jessica roll her eyes at me in the rearview mirror. "We're going to have to start calling you Bella. A tree branch, Maisie? Really? Only you would puncture your face on a branch while we're all trying to have a good time."

Yes, a branch. Bless Tyler for placing the blame on that half-fallen tree and providing me with a cover.

"Y'all should be used to me by now," I told them. "We're going on eight years of this."

* * *

My own parents were not very surprised that I managed to get hurt playing in the woods. I sat obediently and let Mom clean it for a second time with hydrogen peroxide. She also made me hold an icepack to it, because it was bruised and a little swollen. Jess wasn't exaggerating when she had called it a puncture wound.

"I wish you would stop scarring your face," Mom chastised me, moving the icepack to take another peek at my cut. "Right next to that old one from the cats."

"Hey, at least it's only one side of my face. I'll still have a good side this way."

She was worried that my cheek had already become infected. "It's warm to the touch. I wonder if Dr. Cullen would mind too much if you went over and had him take a look at it."

It was warm to the touch, I was sure, because of any venom still in it, not from infection. Between the venom, iodine, and hydrogen peroxide, I figured I had the world's most sterile wound on my face.

"I don't think he would." I told her. This was perfect for me, giving me an excuse to go over to the Cullen's. "I'll text Jasper and see if he's home."

Of course, I already knew Carlisle was home, and waiting for me, but my mom didn't need to know that. I drove myself over to their house, parking behind Edward's Volvo. I didn't even have a chance to open the car door for myself; Jasper was there as soon as the car was in park, drawing me from the driver's seat and into his arms.

"I wanted to go to you sooner," he whispered to me, drawing me close. Than he took a step back, placing a finger under my chin to tilt my face upward. His fingers brushed against my cheek. "How curious."

"What is it?" This was the first time I felt nervous about the cut, since the burning had stopped. With that gone, I had assumed I was in the clear.

"I can still smell the venom in your blood," he explained. "It's decently strong…and yet, you weren't even lying about feeling fine. I don't know why Maria's venom is having no affect."

My heart sped up at her name. "So, it was her? For sure?"

"Yes. Alice suspected—somehow, Maria knows about the wolves. She made her way out of Forks close to the territory line, making herself blurry to Alice's visions. But I can smell it, now."

Jasper laid his hand flat on my chest, just over my heart, measuring its beat. "This makes no sense."

He led me into the house by the hand. I mean, I guess I was confused, too, but more so I was relieved. Here I was thinking that the choice Jacob Black had pointed out to me was stolen, but it seemed that might not be the case.

I wasn't sure exactly what happened when one _does_ turn into a vampire, besides the fact that it required venom and apparently hurt. Burned, that's how Jasper had described it once. An all-consuming fire. Yet I had escaped with just a small taste of that.

Carlisle and Edward were equally as perplexed as Jasper. The only thing they were able to agree upon was that the little crescent-moon shaped cut was probably made with a finger nail. It had swollen and bruised around the cut, but other than that, it seemed normal.

"The swelling and bruising are surely a reaction to the venom," Carlisle determined. "The wound is much to clean for it to be infected."

"But why isn't the venom doing anything?" Jasper and Edward both said, at nearly the same time. Jasper continued without his brother, "You can smell it, too, right? It's in her blood."

"I can. The only reason I can theorize is that perhaps some sort of resistance was built up in Maisie's blood, from the first dose. I can't compare the amount this time to the amount that was present the first time, though."

"Like getting bit by a snake," I said. "You think I have an immunity?"

"Perhaps? If not a full immunity, then an ability, at the least, to resist venom up to a certain point. It would seem that this was not meant to turn or even harm you in any serious way. I think the goal here was pure agitation?"

Carlisle said that last bit, I was sure, because he had no experience with Maria or her character. But Jasper did, and the question was directed at him.

"She's not showing any of the physiological signs," Carlisle continued when Jasper's only reaction was a jutted jaw and half a shrug. "Maisie has no fever, her heartbeat is regular, you can feel for yourself that she isn't in any pain."

The only pain I felt at all was the dull ache left in my cheek from the cut, but that was nothing to what Carlisle was describing.

"So, I'll be fine?" I ventured to ask. Carlisle was hesitant to answer, but he gave me the only answer he could.

"As far as I can guess. Alice?" She was in the room, too, sitting on Edward's piano bench with Esme. Alice had been searching through the future, that now familiar far-off gaze on her face as she looked. Just as Carlisle called her name, though, Esme gasped.

"Oh, honey!"

Though Esme was sitting closer to Alice, Edward was faster. He caught her when she fell from the bench, breaking her fall before she hit the ground. Unseeingly, Alice gabbed onto Edward, her little hands gripping the sleeve of his sweater.

"What's going on?" I asked. Jasper had grabbed my own hand, a reaction, it seemed, to whatever was going on with Alice.

"Sometimes, a vision is exceptionally strong," Jasper explained. I watched as Alice held on to Edward, listened to the way he comfortingly murmured to her. "So strong that it can be hard for her to come out of them. With his mindreading, Edward has gotten exceptionally skilled at drawing her out of the strong ones."

Slowly, Alice's grip on Edward began to go slack. Her eyes softened, became more focused. When, finally, it seemed like she was back in the present, she let her head slump against Edward's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"What did she see?" Carlisle asked. Alice, I figured, was too tired after all of that to speak.

"A lot. Maria's not in Forks anymore, so Maisie, you'll be safe for the time being. And you will be fine—the venom Maria's injected into your blood this time is still not enough to cause a vampiric turning. But…she will be back. She's heading to Alaska, now, to meet with Irina."

* * *

 **A/N:** I told you the action would pick up, hard and fast, now...I hope you enjoyed! And I hope you're excited! Or maybe nervous would be more appropriate, since I know what's coming and you don't! ;)


	40. Chapter Thirty-Nine

**_-Chapter Thirty-Nine-_**

* * *

Maria left me a note after Alice's first vision. Well, I should say she left both of us a note, Jasper and myself. I found it when I returned home, Carlisle having given me a clean bill of health for the time being. Despite Alice's vision showing that I was going to be fine, Carlisle was still understandably wary.

This was uncharted territory, as Jasper liked to remind me.

Maria's note was waiting for me on my bed, placed perfectly in the center of my pillow. Obviously, she wanted to make sure that I wouldn't miss it.

The paper she wrote it on was an intentional choice, I was sure. I didn't read my side first, which was written on the yellowed back of a Spanish love poem, because I didn't notice it right away. Instead, I read the poem first:

 _Por ti junto a los jardines recién florecidos me duelen_

 _los perfumes de primavera_

 _He olvidado tu rostro, no recuerdo tus manos,_

 _¿cómo besaban tus labios?_

 _Por ti amo las blancas estatuas dormidas en los parques,_

 _las blancas estatuas que no tienen voz ni mirada._

 _He olvidado tu voz, tu voz alegre._

 _He olvidado tus ojos._

 _Como una flor a su perfume, estoy astado a tu recuerdo impreciso._

 _Estoy cerca del dolor como una herida, si me tocas me dañarás irremediablemente._

 _Tus caricias me envuelven como las enredaderas a los murros sombríos._

 _He olvidado tu amor y sin embargo te adivino detrás de todas las ventanas._

 _Por ti me duelen los pesados perfumes del estío:_

 _Por ti vuelvo a acechar los ginos que precipitan los deseos,_

 _las estrellas en fuga, los objetos que caen._

I was decent at Spanish by then, but still nowhere near fluent. Still, I was able to pick out the meaning of the poem: it was one about lost love and longing.

 _¿cómo besaban tus labios?_

 _How did your lips feel on mine?_

This reminder that Maria and Jasper once shared something, it was a double-edged sword, meant to hurt both of us. Meant to make me jealous, I was sure, and resurface bad memories for Jasper.

For the first time, I wondered how many of Jasper's scars were Maria's making. My finger went instinctively to my own scar, running a finger over it.

I didn't realize that Jasper was with me, in my shadowy bedroom, until I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't read that." A plea, not a command. I turned to him, catching how crumpled his features were before he composed them into calmness.

"Looks like she misses you." I passed the poem to Jasper, letting him read it. He did so quickly.

"It means nothing to me," he whispered. My door was still open; I hadn't expected him to come, so I hadn't bothered to shut it. I crossed my bedroom, carefully clicking it shut so we could talk more freely.

"Maisie…" Jasper reached a hand out for a moment, letting it fall limply at his side when I didn't immediately return to him. My back against my bedroom door, I watched him run his hand through his hair.

I wasn't sure why I felt so weird about the whole thing. It wasn't like it was a surprise. I had known about Maria, this common denominator that linked our pasts, for as long as our relationship.

After all, it was Maria's venom that change both of our lives, decades apart.

He held the note out to me, the poem-printed side facing down. Only then did I realize there was more written on the back.

Taking the page from Jasper, I saw there was something for myself, too. I assumed Maria had written it—the looping script was handwritten, it looked like. I also didn't know anyone else who would address me as _preciosa._

Reading that word sent a shiver down my spine.

 _Preciosa,_

 _It has been so long. Surely you remember me?_

 _I have heard talk that you have met mi amor. My Jasper. Do tell him I wish him well._

 _I expect we will all be seeing each other soon, preciosa._

She didn't bother to sign it. Though she asked if I remembered her, it was obvious from her lack of signature that she expected full well for me to know exactly who sent the note.

I folded it meticulously, even little squares, and tucked it into the top drawer of my jewelry box sitting on my dresser. I didn't want to look at it anymore. It seemed to take up more space than a fragile piece of yellowed, old paper should. The little wooden drawer thudded as I shut it with more force than necessary.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked Jasper. I still hadn't moved much closer to him.

"Dammit, Maisie," He ran his hand through his hair again before stepping forward. If I wouldn't close the distance between us, then he would. When he was closed enough, he pulled me to him. I wrapped my arms around him despite myself.

I couldn't even describe the emotional reaction I had to Maria's note. Jealousy? That wasn't quite right, though I was upset in a way. There was some fear there, for sure. Not disappointed, that wasn't quite right either, but doubtful, perhaps? It was muddled enough for me. I could only imagine how it felt for Jasper, to have my own on top of his.

Jasper tipped his head, so that our foreheads were touching. "You know I love you. That poem doesn't matter. She just wants to get to you."

Kindly, he did not point out that it was working. I sighed, letting myself relax into his arms.

"I know. I'm sorry. I love you, too."

"I promise none of that means anything to me, anymore. It never did, not truly. She never truly cared for me, and she isn't going to start now. That was nothing more than a ploy to upset both of us."

I knew he was right. At the edge of my own muddled emotions, I felt something familiar and entirely Jasper. Rather than tell me verbally that he loved me, Jasper more often imbued me with the feeling of it. I gave myself over to it, relishing in the warmth that made my chest swell.

I laid my head on my own chest, closing my eyes. Jasper still hadn't answered my question of what we should do, moving forward.

"Don't be mad at Edward, okay?" I murmured against Jasper's sweater. That was how Irina knew about Maria. Edward had shared a lot with Tanya, who had in turn told her sisters. Irina had plenty of information to take me down with, especially since she blamed me for Laurent's death.

"I'm not mad at him." I didn't need to see his face nor feel his emotions to know he was lying. The tightness of his voice gave it away instantly.

"Yes, you are. Don't be. There's no way he could have known this would happen, with or without Alice's visions. We're all blindsided here."

"I'll try, then," he amended. With how closely we were pressed together, I could easily feel his phone vibrate in his pocket. Reluctantly, Jasper disentangled himself to answer his phone. I saw Emmett's name flash on the screen before Jasper answered.

"Hey, Em."

"Are you with Maise?" I heard Emmett ask. "How's our resident human badass? Eddy filled us in."

Jasper held his phone out to me. "Surprise, I'm still alive."

"Hell yeah! And you're gonna _stay_ that way. I will _run_ my ass all the way back to Forks if you need me, just say the word."

That was the first time I had laughed since it happened. "Thanks, Emmett."

"Rose is in class, and this is paraphrasing here, but she basically told me to tell you not to worry. She said Irina shouldn't try to out-bitch her, because Rose would win. I love that woman more than anything, but she's definitely got a point."

I was surprised, but grateful, that Rosalie had kind words to pass along to me. Leaving Jasper furiously whispering over the phone with Emmett, I went into my bathroom to take a shower. The perks of being the oldest child was that I got my own bathroom, connected to my room, whereas Gunner and Ava had to share the one down the hall.

In the mirror, I inspected Maria's new mark. There was mottled bruising around the little moon-shaped cut, but all the swelling was gone now. I knew for a fact that once it healed, the scar left behind would be made of vampire's skin.

Sighing, I put my hair up into a bun and got into the shower. The hot water made me realize how tense I had been, easing away the tightness of my muscles. I stayed inside until the hot water ran out.

I pulled one of Jasper's sweatshirts over my head. Not very sneakily, I had stolen it for the specific purpose of sleeping in it. Jasper was still in my room, having made himself comfortable in my bed while he waited for me. I climbed into bed, cuddling up beside him.

My earlier question still hung between us. I listened to Jasper's breathing for a while, letting my head lull with the up and down movement of his chest.

"I'm going to tell Leah," I told him. I didn't expect the wolves to rush to our aid, of course. But I did think they deserved to know what was going on, what was potentially coming.

"I think you should." Jasper twined his fingers in my hair, playing with the strands. "Obviously, Maria is knowledgeable about them. They should know that there's potential for their land to be abused by her."

Well, that was a start, at least. The start of some kind of plan. Jasper shifted beside me, turning on his side so he could look at me.

"Let me think a little, okay? Despite…this," here, Jasper ran his thumb below the new cut on my face, "I'm confident I still know Maria's thinking and her tricks. Carlisle was right. She never meant to hurt you much today, only to announce herself and irritate us. The same with that poem and letter. I think you'll remember, she's very prone to dramatics."

I sighed, and I hoped Jasper understood that my frustration had nothing to do with him and everything to do with our current situation. "I'm sorry I was upset earlier."

His hand moved from my cheek back into my hair, cupping the back of my head as he kissed me. "You don't need to be sorry."

* * *

Jasper came with me as far as he could, following my car on his motorcycle when I went to La Push. Alice's vision had shown Maria heading to Alaska, but Jasper wanted to be sure. Absolutely sure.

Leah had given me directions to Sam and Emily's house, which was in a small cropping of trees. They were close enough together, these trees, that you had to park on the street beside them and make your way to the house on foot.

Here is where I discovered a side effect of the increased amount of Maria's venom in my blood. I was walking on the little path that I assumed led to the house when something big and hot knocked into me.

I fell onto my back, one of the Quileute wolves looming over me. The wolf's breath was hot and humid on my face. Rationally, I knew this was not a wild animal, but my instincts did not. Before I even thought about it, I punched the wolf as hard as I could on the nose.

I had learned that from Mike's dad once. He always told us to go for the nose or the eyes on a dangerous animal, should we come across one while we played in the woods.

The wolf's whimper was short-lived, soon turning into a growl that rumbled through the scarce space between us.

 _Well, damn, this is it,_ I thought. _Sorry to disappoint you, Maria._

But it wasn't. Suddenly, the weight of the wolf was gone and the only thing pinning me to the ground was my own fear. Where the wolf's face had been now was Leah's as she hauled me to my feet.

"Sorry about Collin. He's new. And, uh, no offense, but you stink of vampire. He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Um, no, but I did punch him. Sorry, I didn't mean to." Now that I was on my feet, I could see that it had been Sam to throw the wolf off me. Not even in wolf form himself—even in their human bodies, they were exceptionally strong. Beside Sam was a teenage boy, his lanky limbs giving away his age despite his height.

"Sorry," the boy, Collin, grumbled. I don't think he would have apologized were it not for the glare that Sam was giving him. I watched him self-consciously wipe the tiny trickle of blood my punch had caused from his nose.

"Sorry I hit you. I think we're pretty even." I tried to smile at him, but I guess the combination of my vampire scent and the anger of his alpha had soured his mood too far for pleasantries.

"I assume you'll be telling the bloodsuckers about that?" Sam asked, his voice hard.

"There's no reason to try to keep secrets with Edward around," I reminded him. "And I wouldn't lie to Jasper, anyway. No one's going to be mad about it, though. It's not like I got hurt or anything."

Leah walked with me as we followed Sam to his house. She raised an eyebrow, inclining her head toward my cheek. She mouthed to me, "Vampire?"

I nodded and mouthed back, "Maria."

Was it my imagination, or did some of the color blanche out of Leah's face?

Neither Sam nor Collin bothered to hold the door for us when we got to the house. Once I was inside, I realized that the whole pack—around ten, plus a lovely young woman who must have been Emily and Bella—were there. Like a war meeting of sort.

"Say your piece," Sam snapped at me. I tried not to glare at him for his rude tone, but Leah held none of my qualms. She openly glared at her alpha, standing beside me in a form of silent solidarity.

"Well," I tried to make my voice even, soft, the way I had seen Carlisle speak to the wolves. "I thought it might interest y'all to know that there is a high likelihood that there's going to be more vampires in Forks. Myself _not_ included."

I added that clarification at the end only because of the hate-filled way that Sam's face twisted at my words. Across the room, Bella's face went paler than usual.

"This is a long story," I told Sam. "Can I sit somewhere?"

Thought the venom in my blood was not changing me, my body was fighting against it. Carlisle had guessed it would. I didn't feel quite right, and I knew from the checkup that Carlisle insisted I have that I was running a low-grade fever. He hadn't wanted me to do this, but between me and Jasper, we had convinced Carlisle that time was of the essence here.

It was Leah who offered me a chair from the kitchen table. I started at the beginning, telling them everything about the first time I had met Maria. I told them about James, too, if only to brag that I had a role in taking that vampire out and they didn't.

"So, after James died, we surely thought that was the end of things. I'm sure y'all remember Rosalie and Emmett's wedding night, though."

That part I didn't have to explain, at least. "Irina was more upset about Laurent's death than we initially realized. The Denali coven is family for the Cullens, so they knew about everything that had happened to me. Irina is using all of that to get revenge. She mostly blames me for Laurent dying, but I thought y'all should know about all of this since y'all are involved, too."

"That's fair enough." Though she was neither the alpha nor the beta, Leah had no problem filling the silence when her other pack members couldn't seem to be bothered. I smiled at her appreciatively, wincing a little at the dull pain that came with moving my face with my new mark.

"There's something else Carlisle wanted me to explain to y'all, too. I'll probably get it wrong, because I'm no doctor, but…"

With Bella's heavy scrutiny aimed my way I explained how Maria's venom was in my blood even as we spoke, though it brought with it no major damage or changes. I told them about Carlisle's theory, that the first time Maria injected me with venom had created a resistance of sorts.

"You're sure no changes will come of this?" Sam asked, his tone and face skeptical. I didn't blame him.

"Alice is sure." I didn't need to remind them that Alice could see my future, even if she couldn't see theirs. "It's already been nearly twenty-four hours and nothing has happened. Carlisle said it takes around three days for a person to become a vampire."

"Forty-eight more hours, then, and you're in the clear."

"I'm in the clear already," I corrected him, reinforcing how much faith I put in the Cullens. I said this despite my fever, despite the exhaustion that was quickly settling into my bones. "Thanks for letting me come talk to y'all. And sorry I scared Collin."

I stood to go, but Leah stood, too. "I'll go with her back to the territory line."

It was a challenge to Sam as much as it was a kindness to me. I could see that in Leah's expression. She didn't wait for his permission, grabbing my arm and leading me back to my car.

"You're sick." She told me, making me sit in the passenger seat of my own car. "I'm going to drive you all the way back. Jasper won't mind?"

I didn't argue with her, leaning my head against the cool glass of the car window. "He'll be grateful. He likes you."

Leah's laugh was more a bark. "I'm not, like, _really_ sick. Not the kind of sick that comes with becoming a vampire, apparently. Carlisle said my body is trying to fight the venom, though."

"Well, yeah, it's a foreign substance. Did this happen the first time?"

I shook my head against the window as Leah drove. "No. I don't think it was as much venom, either, the first time. It hurt a lot more this time, and it didn't bruise like this before."

Right behind us, I heard the grumbling of Jasper's motorcycle. So, he had waited for me at the territory line, even though I had told him not to. That boy.

I felt like I had a bad cold, but nothing more than that. Nothing hurt, I was just tired and feverish.

"Why is this Maria so set on you, though? I mean, if some crazy bitch like that Irina came to me and tried to get me in on her revenge scheme, I would tell her to go to hell." I laughed at Leah, despite myself.

"Maria and Jasper…" I let my sentence fall off, not really sure how to word it. "They, um…"

Luckily, Leah caught on. She held up a hand to stop me. "I see. So, part of it is jealousy?"

I nodded. Put simply, Leah wasn't wrong. Maria was certainly jealous, though I wasn't sure what she was more jealous about. That I was with Jasper, her former lover? That he had left the army so long ago, and had found a family? That he was happy without her?

"It's like a supernatural soap opera," Leah mumbled, and I laughed again. That was it, exactly. That's what my life had become, something so far-fetched and ridiculous. But, unfortunately, it was also entirely real.

Leah drove me to the Cullens' instead of my house, like I had asked her. Jasper pulled up beside us, opening my door and helping me out of the car. Even with my fever, I didn't mind leaning against him and wrapping my arms around him, resting my cheek on his sweater.

"Thank you for bringing her home," he told Leah.

"I did it for her," Leah reminded him. I cracked an eye open to send her a look.

"Of course," Jasper said easily. "But thank you, all the same. I should warn you, I have asked some old friends to come help with this matter. They are…more traditional than my family, but I have explained the rules to them. They will not hunt in Forks while they are here."

"Thanks for the heads up. Sounds like it's going to be hard to keep all the bloodsuckers in town straight, soon."

"I'm hoping it won't come to that."

Behind us, Esme came through the front door, a tin in her hands. She must have made something for the pack, a way of thanks. She smiled shyly at Leah when she offered it to her. To my great relief, Leah took the tin from Esme with a smile of her own.

"We truly are sorry, in advance, for any duress this situation will cause your family," Esme told her. "As you know, Alice's visions cannot see you or the other wolves. We are going to do our best to make sure that whatever comes does not bring harm to you."

"Thanks for that," Leah actually sounded sincere. "I'll pass the message to Sam."

After Leah left and I was inside, Carlisle insisted I take Tylenol and drink some hot tea, to aid in breaking my fever. He also gave me a prescription for antibiotics, so I could tell my parents it was an infection.

"They're sugar pills," Carlisle explained when he handed me the pill bottle. "Purely placebos, but it well help in selling the story."

Jasper tucked the pills into his pocket for me and I began telling them about talking with Sam's pack.

"Maisie," Edward came into the room. and interrupting. He sounded exasperated, and I knew why.

"I _know_ , Edward. I'm getting to that part." Carlisle and Jasper both looked at me quizzically. "I may have accidentally punched one of the werewolves."

"And you're okay?" Carlisle asked, immediately putting his hand out so he could see my own.

"Well, Collin was in his wolf form. I don't know if that makes a difference. But he mistook me for a vampire and tackled me, and I don't know, I panicked! One time Mike's dad told us to punch wolves in the nose if they tried to attack so I did!"

Edward ran his hands down his face, but Jasper only chuckled at me.

"Maisie." Edward said again.

"Edward. I will bet you five hundred dollars that no war breaks out because of me."

"Do you have five hundred dollars?"

"No. That's how confident I am that you're melodramatic and overreact."

The fake pills did help. My mom watched me take one every morning at breakfast for a whole week. I took them for seven days straight, even though the fever broke after the third day and didn't return.

An added plus was that Carlisle wrote me a medical excuse from both gym class and volleyball practice until he cleared me. I was going to be mad if I had to sit out on another season of volleyball. I didn't get to play last year because of the stitched in my hand, and now this.

With that situation behind us, and Charlotte and Peter travelling on their way to return to Forks, we were able to start planning. Or, _strategizing_ , as Jasper phrased it.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi, lovies! I tried to upload this chapter yesterday...but the site said NO! I couldn't get it to work for the life of me! So here it is today. I hope having something new to read brightens your Monday a little! I'm getting evaluated at my job today, so surely you will have a better Monday than I will! ;)


	41. Chapter Forty

**_-Chapter Forty-_**

* * *

Peter and Charlotte weren't the only vampires who headed to Forks. I didn't realize how much I had missed Emmett the past few months until he and Rosalie came home for a long weekend visit. I mean, I missed Rosalie, too, but in a very different way than I had missed Emmett. With Emmett, I missed him because we had fun and always laughed. But I would be lying if I didn't say there was still something companionable in Rosalie's reserved manner and rare, soft smiles.

I was actually on the roof, clearing the rain gutters of fallen leaves, when Emmett and Rosalie got back to Forks. Cleaning the rain gutters used to be Gunner's job, but he hated it so much that he switched his most hated chore with mine: being the designated window washer.

"Hey, werewolf puncher!" I heard Emmett's voice before I saw him or Jasper. My head snapped up, a smile spreading on my face.

"Emmett!" I had a ladder, but my ladder was on the other side of the house. Ava's trampoline was closer. Gunner and I were exceptionally skilled at jumping off the roof and onto the trampoline, so of course, that's the route I chose.

I jumped from the roof onto the trampoline, bouncing a few times to get rid of the momentum, before jumping from the trampoline to the ground. Emmett and Jasper chuckled at me all the while.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Emmett, but he didn't answer me with words. Instead, he pulled me into one of his all-encompassing bear hugs.

"New York is cold. I kind of hate it, but it makes Rose happy to be home, so whatever. It's not much warmer here, but you would be amazed at how frigid New York already is at night…you know, the only time I can go outside there, most days."

I didn't realize Rosalie was originally from New York until Emmett said that. "Plus, Jazz has been telling me all about your life lately. He finally added me to the list of bulletin recipients."

"How kind of him." When Emmett released me, I reached out and took Jasper's hand.

"Yeah, I thought I would return the kindness and come help for a few days. Rose has been missing Esme a lot, so she came, too."

I would have liked to go back to their house with them, but I still had chores to do. Emmett offered to toss me onto the roof, but I declined and took the more traditional route back up the ladder.

"Don't fall off," Jasper called out to me before they left.

"I'll try my best, only because you asked."

Later, though, when all of my chores were done and my parents were satisfied, I was free to go to the Cullens'. It was a ritual lately. Sure, _I_ wanted to see Jasper, and that was my motivation. But Carlisle and Edward were taking detailed observation notes as my cut healed.

Part of going over lately entailed sitting for Carlisle and Edward to judge the appearance of the cut day to day. They noted the dissipation of the swelling, the fading of the bruise. Notes were taken about the smell of my blood—which, apparently, now smelled more strongly of vampire venom than anything.

Just like the first time, the cut healed to a silvery sheen that gave it away as a vampire's mark.

"The fever hasn't come back?" Carlisle's questions were as much for me as they were for Jasper. Thanks to Jasper and the time I had stitches, I had earned myself a reputation of downplaying physical calamities.

"No," though I answered honestly, I still caught the way Carlisle's eyes cut to Jasper to confirm my answer. Even though it kind of annoyed me, I didn't blame Carlisle for wanting to be entirely sure. He and Edward were mapping uncharted territory here.

What surprised me about this most recent examination was how closely Rosalie was watching, as well. I had forgotten that she, too, helped Carlisle stay up to date with medical advances, so she had knowledge in the area. I was used to Esme and Alice hanging nearby, to listen in; and, of course, Jasper was always close beside me. Rosalie seemed as interested as the rest, though.

"It healed fast," Edward commented. "I wonder if that's to do with the venom?"

Edward was not wrong. The cut had turned into a scar in less than two weeks, which surprised all of us. Carlisle said it was definitely a puncture wound, meaning Maria had literally stabbed her fingernail into my face. Now all that was left of that day in the woods was a tiny, crescent moon-shaped scar.

Most of Jasper's scars were from the bites of other vampires, but something about the look of my new scar once it healed must have jogged his memory. He pushed his sleeve up, turning his arm to expose his wrist. Jasper held it close to the light, too, so I could easily see the row of four little scars just like mine in a row along his wrist.

"She did it to all of us," he explained. "When she thought we had gotten out of line. I never realized how she managed to do it, but it's the same, isn't it?"

A warning for me, a punishment long ago for Jasper. It seemed Maria had been practicing this technique for longer than we had thought. I had never noticed the difference in these scars on Jasper's arm, and here I had thought I had learned them well over the past year.

Carlisle took Jasper's arm, pulling it close to my face so he could compare. What exactly, I'm not sure, but he seemed satisfied with what he saw. Really, the only thing that was truly frustrating about these check-ups was the way Edward and Carlisle worked in tandem. More often than not, we only got half of the conversation when Edward answered or commented on unspoken thoughts.

Seeing our scars side-by-side made Carlisle purse his lips in contemplation. "But why start using the venom on humans in the first place? How did this thought come about? How did she figure out the exact dose to use?"

Jasper rolled his sleeve back down with a considerable amount of concentration. I glanced at Edward, and he raised an eyebrow at his brother. After a beat, Jasper said, "Maria was very much of the mindset that humans were an infinite, expendable resource for vampires to use in any way they saw fit."

I raised my own eyebrow at him. It dawned on me that there was a definite imbalance here. Jasper knew our common threat well, as I was aware of, even if I didn't like the thought. I knew next to nothing about her, which put me at a significant disadvantage.

So. Even though I could barely even stand that note of Maria's in my jewelry box, I made the decision that I needed to know more about her. If we were both going to get out of this situation alive, I needed to know.

At least, that's what I was telling myself, that I wanted to know for a pragmatic reason like strategy and not for reasons more akin to jealousy.

* * *

I waited until we were alone, in my bedroom, to broach the subject. My bedroom was quickly becoming a holder of so many secrets. Blessedly, Honeybun was our only witness for all of our whispering.

I had drawn Jasper to the window seat, to sit with me, because I wanted to be able to see his face. Of course, with Jasper's empathy, he already had an idea that something was coming.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his eyebrows knitting together in worry. Jasper reached out to me, his hand stroking down the length of my face. The right side; the scarred side.

I placed my hand over his, stilling it on my own face. "Will you tell me about her?"

"What do you mean?" He was obviously confused. In the pale moonlight, it almost looked like his face was going to fall in on itself. "You know I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"I just…I feel like I can't help, like I'm powerless, if I don't know her. You do, you and Peter and Charlotte can all anticipate he motivations or what she might do next. I can't. Which doesn't feel very fair, considering the fact that Irina made a target out of me."

A dark look flitted over Jasper's face. "Tell me where you want me to start."

Truly, I was lucky. I knew this would not be fun for Jasper, either, reliving a time in his life he always referred to as his 'personal hell'. But, all because I had asked, he was going to do exactly that.

I really don't think I deserved Jasper.

"From the start? Or whatever you think would be important, at least. Whatever you think will help us, for me to know."

Jasper sighed. "You know how it started, how I was turned. Remember?"

I nodded, because I did. Jasper had told me this story already. I couldn't help but smile teasingly at him. "Those Southern manners of yours got the best of you."

"They surely did. Word of advice: Don't stop to ask strange women if they need help in the dead of night. Just keep riding your horse on like you never saw 'em."

"What came after, though? What did you go on to learn about her that we could use now?"

He was quiet for a moment here, dropping his gaze to his lap. Jasper sighed and reached out to twine his fingers with mine.

"When Maria realized I was especially gifted, I became infinitely more valuable to her. My military experience had earned me a place on her war council; my empathetic skills made me a favorite very quickly. I didn't even recognize my own power; Maria pinpointed it, helped me to hone it. So, unfortunately, she knows it well."

"She doesn't have anything extra going on, then?"

"No. Unless you count her considerable mean streak, but I'll tell you more about that in a moment. Maria is incredibly intelligent. She pays attention to people, to their relationships with everyone around them. This was necessary for Maria to maintain her power, and my empathy only made that easier for her. How simple it was, once she taught me to focus my power, was it for her to create false bonds of loyalty or to destroy true bonds of love or friendship."

I shivered at his words. Jasper had told me, right out, in the past that he considered his time in the South as spent 'being a cog in Maria's machine'. Now I saw how true his words were.

"I will admit…I was amazed by Maria. I can't remember now, much of my human life, but I do remember entering my new life with childlike wonder. I must have been a small-town boy of some sort, to be first amazed by war and then equally amazed by vampires. But most of my mooning over my new life was focused on Maria as she took me under her wing. Like I said, she's intelligent. She picked up on my admiration and had no problem with exploiting it. Though I was her favorite, her pet, that didn't mean I was exempt from her punishments."

Here, Jasper tapped my scarred thumb. "What did that feel like, to have your hand open, everything that had never felt the outside world exposed to open air?"

It took me a moment to realize that Jasper was asking me truly. He wanted an answer. "It was terrible. That cut was down to the bone. The saltwater burned so badly, it made my ears ring."

"And you've had a taste of the pain that comes with a vampire's venom." Jasper's eyes clouded over when he brushed his fingers across my cheek. "Maria did more than sink her nails into our skin when she was displeased. Do you remember, when we were dealing with James, I told you that the only way to be sure a vampire is destroyed is to dismember one and set the pieces on fire?"

"Yes," I answered. "Kate told me that the only thing that slowed Tanya at all, when she attacked Kate in her human life, was a fire."

Jasper nodded. "A vampire could be torn limb from limb and still be very much alive."

Here, Jasper lifted his shirt, pulling it over his head. I thought, in this year we had been together, that I learned his scars well. Obviously, I had missed a lot more than I realized. He took my hand, running my fingers over his shoulder. Here, I could feel the thick rope of a scar that ran a circle around the joint where his arm met his shoulder.

"If you ever made Maria mad enough, she wasn't above taking an arm for a day or two. Not a mortal wound by any means, but also not pleasant. Just because vampires are hard to kill does not mean we don't feel pain."

I felt myself getting mad before Jasper even finished the sentence. "She took your _arm?_ "

"Only for an afternoon. Definitely not a fond memory."

He didn't share the reason for Maria ripping his arm off, and I didn't ask. I couldn't help the shudder that ran through me at the thought.

I. Hated. Her.

"So, she's smart and she's mean."

"And superstitious." Jasper's voice was muffled when he said this, as he pulled his shirt back on.

"Superstitious?" That could be something we could use…maybe?

"Maria never attacked during a full moon. She would flat out refuse. If she ever got blood on her clothes, either while feeding or changing a human, she would burn her clothes with the body. Odd things. They never made sense."

"Write them down," I told him. I nearly laughed at the surprise on his face.

"Write her superstitions down?" He asked after a beat.

"Yes. All of them that you remember." Jasper's eyebrows pulled together. I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him.

"Trust me, okay? I have an idea."

* * *

 **A/N** : A shorter, but necessary chapter... I don't want to spend too much time on Maria, because she's not the focal point. But since we know next to nothing about Maria from the Twilight series, I think it is important to flesh her out some. _However_ , since we don't know much about Maria, I am taking heavy liberties with her characterization! I hope you enjoy it, though!


	42. Chapter Forty-One

**_-Chapter Forty-One-_**

* * *

Jasper still wasn't sure what idea Maisie had, but he was complying with her request. He was the empath, but Maisie was equally skilled at reading his moods. She had left him alone, in his room, to write the list of Maria's paranoid superstitions.

A few rooms over, Maisie was arguing with Edward over music.

 _"Here,"_ Maisie said, her word punctuated with the rustle of paper. _"Read these."_

 _"You printed out lyrics?"_ It sounded like Edward was looking through his innumerable CDs, if the soft sound of plastic scraping against itself was any indication.

Jasper licked the tip of his pen. An old habit he never shook, one he must have brought with him from his human life. Never mind that his ballpoint pen certainly didn't need help; it was a routine deep in his muscle memory.

 _"Yeah, likes it's 2005. You're welcome, it was a lot of work."_

 _"Why are there pieces blacked out with marker?"_

 _"Redacted information. Just read, Cullen."_

Jasper added the two quirks he had already told Maisie about to the list: Maria's aversion to making big moves during a full moon, and her habit of burning bodies and clothing alike if she spilled even one drop of blood on herself.

 _"Do you like the lyrics? I know that's a thing for you, literary lyrics."_

 _"The writing is good,"_ Edward conceded, wariness in his voice. Jasper knew exactly what Maisie was getting at. He was certain that the lyrics came from a Turnpike Troubadours song. Recently, Edward had mentioned to Maisie that he 'liked all music genres, except for country'. Maisie wasn't huge on country herself, but she did love Turnpike Troubadours, and knew that Edward would refuse to listen to anything even vaguely near the country genre.

 _"Okay, then read these. Stop trying to read through the marker! What part of redacted information did you not understand?"_ There was the sound of paper ripping. Maisie must have torn it, to take away whichever part had the band's name blacked out.

Jasper added more information to his list.

Maria hated animals, especially coyotes and owls. She didn't trust either, for whatever reason.

Jasper was never allowed to stand on her left side. She was naturally left-handed but forced herself to do everything with her right-hand. _Con diablo_ , she would mutter about any newborn who was revealed to be left-handed. It was his job to dispose of those newborns immediately.

Despite their military framework—which, from all sides, involved murder—Maria still considered Sundays the Sabbath. No work was allowed in her army on Sundays.

She would not cross water. Not with her own body, anyway. Jasper had carried her across countless streams; once, across the whole of the Rio Grande.

From Edward's bedroom came the opening drums of Maisie's favorite Turnpike Troubadours song, _Good Lord, Lorrie._ He couldn't help but smirk at her persistence to prove Edward wrong.

Jasper shook his head, continuing on with the list while Maisie and Edward fought.

* * *

"Oh," Maisie breathed when he gave her the list. "This is longer than I thought it would be."

"I told you she had odd tendencies. Are you going to tell me about this idea of yours now? I think I've provided considerably more than a penny for your thoughts."

Maisie folded up the paper and slipped it into Jasper's pocket. Sometimes, it was blatantly obvious they were from different times—for example, the casual intimacy she was prone to, which still surprised him from time to time. When his eyebrows shot up, Maisie merely shrugged and motioned toward her dress and leggings. "I don't have any pockets."

"Fair enough." Understandably, Jasper doubted that Maisie wanted to accidentally lose the list. He opened the passenger side door for her. They were going to Port Angeles, to pick up Peter and Charlotte. Jasper had borrowed Esme's car, a sleek little Lexus.

"Are you gonna drive a hundred the whole way there?" Maisie teased when he got into the driver's seat, taking a drink of her sweet tea she had brought with her. The fact that Maisie's appetite was unaffected after the latest dose of venom was a great relief to Jasper and Carlisle alike.

"No offense, but that's why we're not taking your car." Not that Maisie's car _couldn't_ go one hundred miles per hour. It could, as Jasper had once proved to her, but Maisie always reminded him that if her car broke down due to excessive speeds, she didn't have two garages full of other vehicles to choose from.

He knew she was deflecting a bit, teasing him about the car instead of answering his question. Jasper waited while Maisie took another sip of sweet tea and reached over to hold his hand.

"Okay, so it might sound dumb, _but_ Maria really isn't that much different than Lauren. She sounds like a way more extreme version of Lauren, but I think that might actually be a good thing. Lauren is superstitious, too, and I will admit that I am no angel and Jess and me have, on occasion, used those superstitious to bother her. But if Maria is as apparently psychotic and mentally unstable as she sounds, I think playing into _her_ superstitions would do a lot more than annoy her."

Jasper turned her words over in his head. It wasn't something that he would have considered, honestly. Since Maria's return, he had been racking his own brain to try to remember any and all physical weaknesses that Maria had. Maisie's approach was considerably different, but he had to admit that it could be useful.

"Subterfuge," he said softly, giving Maisie's hand a squeeze. "It could work. Maria has a tendency to be overly direct in her advances, as you've already seen. This approach could blindside her. I only wish Ali could see clearly for us, so we could know for sure."

Beside him, Maisie sighed in relief, a small smile forming on her lips. She was glowing with self-pride, and Jasper didn't blame her. It was a considerable feat, a human gaining the upper hand over a vampire not once but twice. Jasper smiled back at Maisie, his own pride in her swelling in his chest.

"We'll propose it to Peter and Charlotte, too."

Apparently, Maisie needed this confirmation before she could go through the list and move forward with her idea. She reached over, slipping her hand back into his pocket to retrieve the list Jasper had written for her. Maisie's smirk as she pulled away let him know that she noticed how his breath had hitched at her touch.

While Jasper drove, Maisie tucked herself into the passenger seat, using the flashlight on her phone to read through his list. "There's a lot here."

"Yeah…I know. I'm not even sure I got all of it. I'm going to have Peter look through it, too."

In the glow of the phone's flashlight, Jasper watched Maisie bite her thumbnail. "Guess I'm going to teach myself to be ambidextrous, so I can convince her I'm 'of the devil'. I'll get a pet owl, too."

This was a dark time, but Jasper chuckled anyway. "To be fair, the lefthanded thing might help. I would highly doubt that if Maria is spending all of this time choosing humans to mark, she would choose any humans who are lefthanded."

"I think she knows I'm righthanded already, then," Maisie pointed out. "I guess I could always take it a step further and just start worshipping Satan."

"That just might be a little excessive." Beside him, Maisie shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly.

"I'll bet she wouldn't know what to do with herself if I summoned a demon."

"And I'll bet neither would you." He reached over to chuck her softly under the chin. Maisie stuck her tongue out at him in response.

"Technicalities." She waved his teasing away with her hand. "Thank you, for making this. I know it wasn't fun for you, but I really think it will give us something we can use. I just need to think about it first."

"You know I would do anything for you," he told her softly, but he meant it truly. He hated the thought that anything could befall Maisie due to this mess they had found themselves in.

"I know," Maisie smiled at him. She raised their joined hands, twisting them so she could kiss the back of his hand.

Peter and Charlotte, who they were on the way to pick up, had been backpacking their way through Canada. Jasper and Maisie were meeting them in Port Angeles to shorten their journey.

Maisie, ever mindful of the needs of vampires since she had entered his world, rolled down her window after Peter and Charlotte got in the car. Her action brought up an odd mix of pride and sadness in Jasper. Pride that Maisie was so well versed in vampirism, which he knew would help her with Maria just like it had with James. Sadness that she identified it as a necessity, the fresh air, so that the scent of her blood was not too strong in the confines of the warm car.

And underneath all of that, guilt, because there was something Jasper was keeping from Maisie at Carlisle's urging. Something that Peter and Charlotte both identified, as soon as they were close enough to distinguish Maisie's scent from Jasper's.

Peter acknowledged this shift with the raising of his eyebrows. Jasper shook his head at his old friend, silently disregarding it.

 _"Later,"_ Jasper mumbled instead, hoping it was still too low for Maisie to hear. If she had heard that singular word, she gave no indication as she greeted Peter and Charlotte. He knew exactly what had caught the attention of his old friends.

Despite the weeks that had passed since Maria's little visit, the venom in Maisie's blood had not changed. There was really no need for Maisie to leave her window open for Peter and Charlotte's comfort, for she hardly smelled of a human anymore. The vampire scent was so pervasive on Maisie that Jasper had no trouble seeing how the young werewolf had mistaken her for a true vampire.

Instead of speaking on any of these matters, Jasper pushed them from his mind and plucked the list he had made from Maisie's lap.

"Do me a favor?" He asked Peter, meeting his friend's eye in the rearview mirror. He reached behind him, to pass the paper to Peter. "Look this over. Did I forget anything? Maisie has this idea we could use Maria's superstitious nature against her."

"You mean for something other than pranks that nearly cost us our heads?" Peter teased, making Charlotte laugh beside him.

"It didn't cost _you_ anything," Jasper reminded him, though he was smiling. "Remember when I told you about losing my arm for a day?"

He was prompting Maisie, who raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Something tells me it was your own doing."

"It was _Peter's_ doing," Jasper corrected. "Part of the distraction we caused so he and Charlotte could slip away from the army. The idea to trap a barn owl was Peter's through and through, even though I took the fall for it."

"Seems to me you made it out alright in the end," Peter remarked, clapping Jasper on the shoulder. "No harm, no foul, right?"

"Fowl was exactly what got Jasper into the mess!" Charlotte tittered. "I had never seen Maria madder than she was when that owl went to flying around the camps. I swear her eyes got redder."

Speaking of red eyes, Jasper had noticed that Peter and Charlotte's were unusually dark. They typically kept a feeding pattern similar to his own; which was, of course, categorized as _often_. He wondered about their decision to go long enough without feeding for their eyes to be nearly dark, but he would save that for later. Peter had turned his eyes towards the list, scanning over what Jasper had written.

"I think you've got them all. You're planning on being wily and underhanded, then, Maisie?"

"Is there any other way to mess with a vampire, if you're human? I get reminded at least once a week that I'm breakable." This made both Peter and Charlotte laugh. That was still true, at least. All the bruises Maisie had amassed on her legs from her volleyball practices was proof that despite the venom in her bloodstream, no significant changes were taking place.

That, and the fact that all of her other human habits continued uninterrupted, such as her appetite and sleeping schedule. This gave Jasper hope, even as he and his family noticed minute changes that no one else would have.

They were small, but undeniable. Maisie's reflexes were faster. Despite the fact that it seemed like every human in Forks was coming down with something as the seasons changed, Maisie remained perfectly healthy.

From her thoughts, read by Edward, of course, Jasper knew that Maisie had not noticed these changes in herself, either. He was actually heartened by that, as was Carlisle. Maybe, just maybe, the venom had nothing to do with these things.

Perhaps her good health was just luck of the draw. Perhaps the improvement in reflexes was simply because Maisie was still human and still growing, nearing eighteen by the day.

Perhaps Jasper was delusional.

He would cross that bridge when he came to it.

* * *

"I've a surprise for you," Peter said later, when the sky had darkened and the two of them were alone in the woods. Jasper was showing him the Quileute territory line and how it sliced through Forks.

"Oh?" Jasper asked, catching Peter's arm and drawing him away when he wandered a little too close to the line. He didn't like leaving Maisie, but he knew that Alice was keeping an eye on her via her visions.

"I'm sure you noticed that Charlotte and I haven't fed in a while. The last time was outside of Ontario, I believe."

"I may have noticed." Jasper was unsure where Peter was going with this. He had never known his friend to chance it this way, to go so long without blood.

"Charlotte thinks we should give your way of life a try while we're here." At this confession, Jasper laughed. Properly laughed, for the first time, he was sure, in weeks.

"You?" He asked for clarification.

"Yes, me. And Charlotte. Like I said, it was her idea. I'm merely a follower to were she may lead, but you know it's been that way for me since before the turn of the 19th century."

"I suppose I should show you how it's done, then. Luckily for all of us, the Quileute do not place the same value on Forks' wildlife as they do the human population. I would advise, however, that you stay away from wolves. Just to be safe."

After Peter fed, his eyes lightened to a burnished red shade. It would take more than one feeding for any change in color to take place. Jasper remembered how it had taken forever, it seemed to him, for all of the red to fade away and for him to match the rest of his new family.

It was not until after Jasper had shown Peter how to track animals and let him loose on a herd of deer that he broached the subject of Maisie. He explained how Maria had announced her arrival, the spike of venom in Maisie's blood, the minute changes in this human girl he loved.

Peter let out a low whistle, sitting on a fallen tree trunk next to Jasper. "Quite a bind. And I'm sure Maria's old fondness of you has no influence on this situation."

"I wouldn't call it a fondness. I was her property, we all were."

"Yeah, and I seem to remember Maria not exactly having a penchant for sharing her things. Now her old favorite is cozy with one of her shiny new toys. Doesn't really bode well, does it? Lucky for all of us, Maisie seems sharp. She doesn't realize it, but playing mind games is a great strategy for Maria, as we both know."

"I hope she _never_ has to realize how appropriate her chosen strategy is," Jasper murmured, a chill running down his spine.

'Stable' was never a word that Jasper would have paired with Maria, and for good reason.

* * *

 **A/N:** If there are any mistakes in this chapter, I would like to blame them on The Haunting of Hill House. So good. So scary. Do not write while you watch it, because you will forget that you're writing and sit with your laptop in your lap and your fingers frozen over the keys. Speaking from personal experience here.


	43. Chapter Forty-Two

**_-Chapter Forty-Two-_**

* * *

Something I quickly learned about myself was that inaction affected me more than action did.

It had been a month since Maria had left me a fresh scar. A scar that, upon comparison with Peter and Charlotte, linked the four of us with these common marks. And after a month, that is when I started to have nightmares.

Well, one nightmare, anyway. Over and over and over again.

It always started the same. Everything is dark. And cold. I know this because every time I breathe, my breath crystallizes in a puff in front of me. It's dark, and I can't see anything, but there must be a ground beneath me, because I'm walking forward. I walk for a long time, and then I stumble.

When I stumble, there's this laugh that is not my laugh. This laugh is hysterical; this laugh is broken glass; this laugh kicks my heart into overdrive and makes me break into a run.

Now I'm running, and something keeps cutting me. My hands, my arms, my legs. I still can't see anything in the dark, but I can feel the sting of the cuts. I keep running, and all of these little cuts accumulating on my body, they start burning.

She's still laughing. Somehow, I know this is Maria, even though I can't see her, and I've never heard her laugh. She's laughing and I'm running.

I'm running until I fall, tripping again over something unseen in the dark. When I fall, someone catches me. The first time I had the nightmare, I was hopeful. After the second time, I knew better.

Someone catches me and pins me to the ground, my back slamming hard, my head cracking in the fall. I can feel myself bleeding, feel it seep into my hair.

The laugh becomes a hiss.

 _Preciosa._

 _Preciosa._

 _Preciosa._

Her voice is everywhere. It's the only thing I can hear. I still can't see her, even though I can feel her hands on me. I don't see anything, until she opens her eyes, bright and red and not even an inch from mine.

That's when I wake up.

It was the same dream every time. I knew it was a dream, even the first time. Even though I had it over and over, I was powerless to change anything about it. I suffered through it countless times, knowing what would happen next, anxiety and dread filling my veins knowing there was nothing I could do about it.

* * *

"Maisie?" When I leaned a little to the left, I could see chunk of Jasper through the branches of the tree I was in. I watched him look side to side, his eyes narrowing as he looked for me.

It wasn't often that I had the upper hand on Jasper, so I thought it was understandable that I played into the moment. I smothered a giggle with my hand before answering him. "Yeah?"

My reply didn't help him much at all. Jasper ever so slightly tilted his head up, but he still wasn't able to locate me. His eyes continued to scan the trees, flitting all around. "Where are you? Your mom said you were outside."

 _"Mira hacia arriba."_ I watched him tip his head back further. His eyebrows pulled together in concentration. I had to cover my mouth with my hand to keep from laughing out loud. It took him a few seconds, but his eyes finally settled over me.

"Maisie!" This time when Jasper said my name, there were equal measures of surprise and scolding in his tone. "What are you doing up there?"

"Making a friend." The word choice was flippant, but true. I went through the trouble of climbing the tree to try to befriend the owl I knew lived there. If Maria hated owls intensely enough that she took Jasper's arm off over one, surely I had a chance of warding her off with one. If I managed to make the owl my friend.

"A friend with what?" He asked, crossing his arms and watching me carefully.

"An owl. I'm taking up _brujeria._ " The only wrinkle in my plan, however, was the fact that the owl seemed uninterested in my friendship. I had offered the owl chunks of raw meat I had taken from the fridge, but apparently my gift wasn't good enough.

The little owl watched me curiously from a hollow in the tree but made no efforts to come closer to me.

"What are you going to do if your new friend attacks you?" That boy of mine could be such a Debbie-downer of a devil's advocate sometimes. I leaned over a little, trying to eyeball my distance from the ground.

"I'll fall about twenty feet, I suppose." I heard Jasper chuckle, the sound drifting up to me. I hadn't considered the fact that the owl could attack me, but I would be lying if I said I didn't jump a little when the owl shifted in front of me. Damn Jasper, planting the idea in my head.

"Give or take, I suppose," he playfully mimicked me. "Would you happen to be heading down sometime soon, or are you committed to this owl already? Perhaps a twenty-four-hour challenge?"

I rolled my eyes at him, certain he could see even if I was high up. Twenty-four-hour challenges comprised a whole trend on YouTube, and Ava had an insatiable obsession with them.

"No thanks." I left the raw meat on a branch for the owl. Maybe it would venture out after I was out of the tree, which I guessed would still be progress. My owl idea abandoned, I dropped down from my branch to the one just below.

"Drop down," Jasper suggested.

"Um, excuse me?" I edged along the branch, dangling my feet until I was able to reach the next one below. "Didn't I already decide I was twenty feet in the air?"

"It's more like thirteen feet, if we're being technical. I'll catch you."

I had no doubt that Jasper could and would catch me, but the idea of falling thirteen feet was not enjoyable. Instead, I sent him an incredulous look and kept climbing on my own. I climbed until I figured there was a handful of feet left. Only then did I jump—when I was sure that I wouldn't accidentally break myself if Jasper didn't catch me for some reason.

True to his word, Jasper's arms wrapped securely around my waist, saving me from a crash landing. "Should I start calling you Maisie Irwin?"

"I don't think I deserve the honor," I told him. He was still holding me, so that I was lifted a little above him. I ran my fingers through his hair and kissed him lightly. "I couldn't even get an owl to like me. I would be hopeless with crocodiles."

Jasper set me gently on the ground. "I have a feeling this won't be the last time I find you in that tree, trying to woo an owl."

"Hey, I thought Alice was the clairvoyant one." I wasn't sure, exactly, what Jasper was doing there. Not that I wasn't happy to see him, but I had quickly grown used to not seeing Jasper until night had fallen. He had taken to spending a lot of time with Peter, Charlotte, Edward, and Alice. They had formed a war council of sorts, trying to decide how best to handle this threat… on the vampire front, anyway.

I had largely been left to my own devices, with plenty of time to think over how I could utilize Maria's superstitions. I particularly liked the idea of the owl, if it could work—honestly, because I was still feeling petty about the whole thing.

"Walk with me?" Jasper asked, but he was already tugging at my hand. We wandered through the woods that separated our houses. Unfortunately, our properties were not anywhere near any running water.

"What's up?" I asked him. His reply came in the form of a subtle shrug.

"I've just missed you." I had missed him, too. When my parents asked about Jasper's sudden absence, I was fortunate to have his college work to blame it on. True to what he had told my parents last spring, Jasper was taking online classes. The only flaw in my cover was the fact that it literally took Jasper—and all of the Cullen siblings, honestly—two seconds flat to do homework.

"No new developments?"

"Staying on the defense for now. Biding our time. She has a tendency to get bored, if she isn't engaged."

I think we both knew that would be too easy. There was no way that this whole thing could just blow over, even if I wanted it to. And I very much wanted it to.

While we walked, I leaned my head against Jasper's arm. I felt him kiss the top of my head. We walked in silence for a while, which was nice. The easy silence Jasper and I could fall into had always been comforting to me. I squeezed his hand, hoping it conveyed to him how grateful I was to have him going through this with me.

In response, I felt myself grow warm. Jasper's love, when he diffused me with it, felt like sunshine that spread outward from my chest, starting in the spot over my heart. It was a wonderful feeling, and I never tired of it.

"Do you still feel okay?" Carlisle's insistence on checkups had long since faded, but Jasper was still in the habit of checking on me.

"Yeah. No more fevers, no changes." I was tired lately, but that was understandable, considering my lovely nightmares. Sometimes I had the nightmares while Jasper was with me. He would whisper to me soothingly, softly stroking my hair until I woke up enough to escape the horrible dream. As soon as I would wake up, I would be crying, and Jasper always held me until I calmed down.

I squeezed his hand again, thinking of how tenderly he cared for me while I lost it over the dreams. I really was so thankful for him.

"Thank you for being here," I told him softly. Jasper stopped walking, pulling me to him and holding me to his chest. He didn't answer other than holding me. I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my cheek against him, listening to his breath.

I closed my eyes, focusing on the quiet sanctuary I found in Jasper's arms.

* * *

To explain Charlotte and Peter's appearance in Forks, Alice made sure to loudly tell me one day at school that 'their cousin and his wife' would be at dinner that night, because they were visiting.

"There's even _more_ of them?!" Alice had casually thrown this piece of information over her shoulder, twining her arm with Edward's as they walked to class. Despite her casual nature, I'm sure we both knew that Jessica would latch on to the tidbit.

"He's Jasper and Rosalie's biological cousin," I covered quickly. "Not everyone in the family is adopted, you know."

Except that was really the only way that vampire families were made, unless true blood relatives were turned together or something.

"I'll bet he's gorgeous, then," Jess continued without shame. "His wife, too, probably. You'll tell me, won't you?"

I tried, genuinely, not to laugh with Jess, but I couldn't help it. Jess had become self-aware lately, and I didn't doubt that the reason behind her self-deprecation was named Michael Newton. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on, as Jessica was uncharacteristically tight-lipped about the whole matter, but it was obvious that they were on the rocks.

Probably because Mike was still following Bella around like a lost puppy. If it weren't for the fact that Mike couldn't know, I would have liked to tell him that he had stiff competition in the form of a werewolf.

"Of course, I will," I promised her. "But that doesn't give you the option to be a homewrecker."

"I am a lady of morals!" Jess exclaimed, a little too loudly in the hallway, with over-the-top faux offense in her voice. I was certain Jessica said it that loudly on purpose—it certainly got Mike to turn his head down the hallway.

Thankfully, the bell rang, putting an end to Jessica's attention-grabbing antics. I was free to slip away to my office aid 'class', otherwise known as a solid hour where I didn't do much. My time spent as an office aid was spent using the die cuts to make letters for bulletin boards, texting Jasper, playing games of Trivia Crack with Gunner and Emmett, and talking to the secretary.

I was in the middle of a winning streak against Gunner when a text came through to my phone. It was from Alice.

 _Skip next period with me?_ it said simply. Knowing Alice, the question mark was a formality. I doubted I would have much choice in the matter, so I typed out a quick reply.

 _Sure._

Immediately, I got a row of smiling emojis in response.

It came as no surprise when I found Alice waiting for me outside of the office as soon as the class hour was over. Since Bella was in on the secret thanks to Jacob, Alice had taken to dressing theatrically gothic to poke fun at her without actually engaging Bella.

Today, she was wearing black maxi dress made out of intricate lace and pointy, heeled booties. The whole outfit gave off Morticia Addams vibes. It stood in stark contrast to Alice's huge, bright smile.

"Let's go," she told me, tugging at my hand. Alice led us outside before letting us into Edward's Volvo. Skipping was a lot easier when you had the ability to look into the future and know, for sure, that you weren't going to get caught.

"What inspired you to break school rules today?" I asked, like Alice didn't make a game out of breaking school rules. From dress code to her schedule hacking, I thought it was Alice's goal to break as many as possible. Carlisle's status in the town certainly helped her with avoiding getting into _too_ much trouble.

"I just wanted to see how you were handling things. I thought you could use some time away from everything." Alice drove in circles around Forks, not bothering to try to hide the fact that we were skipping. "Seems to me you're handling it alright."

Though nothing about the situation was really funny, I laughed anyway. "Jasper would be inclined to disagree, I'm sure. I am too, though. All of this is the reason I have three new holes in my ear."

Last weekend I had agreed to get multiple ear piercings with Lauren, on a whim. I figured it was an appropriate reaction to an impending meeting with someone who probably wanted me dead. Irina definitely wanted me dead. Maria…I had no clue, but I was going with the worst possible option and anticipating it.

Alice's eyes squinted, her lips pursed, as she regarded me. Then she let loose one of her bright smiles. "Seems to me having three holes punched in your ear is definitely not the worst way you could handle stress. Let's not forget, Teddy ran away to Alaska when he couldn't handle his life."

"I mean…you're not wrong. I guess this is better." Edward had not spoken about Tanya since this whole thing had started. I wasn't brave enough to ask him if it was over between the two of them. Remembering his emotional turmoil from last year, I didn't think it would do anyone any good if Edward returned to that state.

"How are _you_ doing?" I asked her. She tried to hide it, but I knew what a hard toll the visions took on her. Jasper had said once that it was cruel, in a way, how each of the gifted Cullens could be entirely exhausted from their gifts and find no rest or relief in sleep.

Alice daintily waved my concern away with her little hand. "There's no need to worry about me, Maisie."

Her tone left no room for arguing with that statement. We were back at school in time for lunch, which I was certain was only for my benefit. I was sure I had volleyball practice and games to thank for my continued appetite. Otherwise, I didn't think I would be able to eat much with how nervous I was.

I loved Alice, and I was immensely thankful for her ability to see into the future. But there were weaknesses to this power, and Maria had already proved herself more than capable of exploiting them. She slipped into Forks to start this game by leaving me a new scar so easily.

Volleyball was also a great outlet during this time. I threw myself into every game, which resulted in my legs becoming polka-dotted with bruises. Carlisle made me start wearing a little compression sleeve over my thumb, because he was worried I was irritating the old injury with how roughly I played.

That was one of the few win-wins going in my life. Volleyball gave me an outlet for the stress and fear, and the aggressive way I played helped us dominate in games. Lauren and Jessica thought I was trying to get a scholarship—college scouts had started to come watch seniors play sports.

Really, I was just trying to keep myself sane.

* * *

I was having the dream again.

Maria had become a near-nightly visitor, if only in my mind. That was more than enough, though.

I hated the nightmare, mostly because I knew it was a nightmare. I knew none of it was real, that it all was taking place in my head, and I _still_ couldn't change it.

It wasn't really sleep paralysis, because I could move. When the dream started, I felt my body twist wildly in response, my covers rustling over me. The fact that I did not collide with another body let me know that I was alone, that Jasper was not with me. I knew that already, somewhere in the rational, conscious part of my brain. I had gone to bed alone, so I wasn't surprised.

What happened next was purely bad timing.

The worst part of the nightmare for me was always the part where I fell down. No matter how many times I had the dream, this was the most terrifying part for me.

Just as I had hit the ground, I felt someone place their hand on my face.

Never mind that the touch was gentle.

Never mind that my rational part of my brain knew it was likely Jasper.

The scared, instinctual, survivor-mode of my brain that dominated these dreams took over. Of its own accord, it seemed, my own hand shot out. I felt my hand latch on to someone's arm.

Jasper's arm. I knew it was Jasper's arm. I could feel the telltale scars on his skin, but I couldn't stop myself from gripping harder as my dream-self crashed to the ground; harder, still, when those red eyes opened mere inches from mine.

 _"Maisie."_ My name. Not _'preciosa'_. Jasper's voice, not Maria's. I could feel my heart racing and pounding in my chest. The fog slowly dissipated from my mind, releasing me from the dream.

"Maisie, let go." When, finally, my eyes opened, I couldn't make sense of Jasper's voice, of his expression. Somehow, he seemed simultaneously awed, confused, and…sad? Was that the sour turn to the corner of his lips.

"Please let go," he continued, slipping his fingers beneath mine and trying to loosen my grip. "You're… _hurting_ me."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello! Happy Friday! I hope you all have a wonderful day! :)


	44. Chapter Forty-Three

**_-Chapter Forty-Three-_**

* * *

"Oh my God, I'm sorry," were the first words out of my mouth. I let go of Jasper's arm immediately. The dream was over, but sleep was still dominating my mind. At first, I didn't realize the gravity of the words he had just spoken.

When it began to click in my mind, I pushed myself up. "Wait…"

He took my hand—gently, softly—and ran my fingers over the place on his arm where I had grabbed him. Usually, Jasper's skin was raised in multiple places, due to all his scars. Now, though, I could feel how his skin was slightly concave in places. In the shape of my hand.

Vampire skin worked different than human skin. It was thicker, more resilient. As I had seen with James, vampire skin did not tear the way human skin did. Instead, vampire skin dented and cracked when damaged. The healing factor was also increased; vampire skin could crack and heal in a matter of minutes, whereas it took human skill significantly longer to heal itself.

Even as Jasper ran my fingers along these dented places, I could feel his skin regaining its shape.

"I'm sorry," I said again, feeling tears fill my eyes. The dark irony of the moment was not lost on me. For our entire relationship, Jasper had worried over accidentally hurting me. He had never come close.

"Oh, baby," Jasper murmured, dropping to his knees in front of my bed. He cupped my chin in his hand, using his sleeve to dry my tears. "It's alright."

The tears were coming unbidden, and I couldn't stop them. It was true that I cried after every time I had the nightmare, so it wasn't like this new bout was anything new. The reasoning behind the tears was, though.

Before, all of this was fine. Okay, _fine_ is too kind of a word. My life was not fine; there were a ton of frustrating, scary things going on. But this was too much for me.

I let Jasper pull me from my bed, curling me into his lap. While I cried, he stroked my hair and pressed gentle kisses along my face. Honeybun, of course, was in my room as always. I felt her lick my foot, offering her own form of support.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," I mumbled against Jasper's shoulder once I calmed down enough. "I didn't know I _could_ hurt you."

"Neither did I," he admitted. In a fluid movement, Jasper stood with me cradled in his arms. He settled us into my bed, and I gladly snuggled next to him. I was even more tired now than I was when I went to bed, thanks to the nightmare and my crying. The biggest problem here was that I was terrified to sleep.

Jasper pressed his palm to mine, briefly twining our fingers to give them a squeeze, before sliding his arm upward until my hand rested against his forearm. "Try to do it again."

"What?" I whispered to him. When Jasper lifted me, I had noticed that it was just after two in the morning, according to my alarm clock. I had school in the morning, I wasn't in the mood for sleeping, and Jasper was trying to have an experiment. "No."

"Humor me," he pressed. I sighed, wrapping my fingers around his arm. I squeezed as hard as I could, but there was no purchase this time. The end result was much different than when I woke up from the dream.

"Nothing." The word became distorted around a yawn. "Weird."

"Rather curious," he agreed. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. "I'll mention it to Carlisle."

For some reason, this brought on a spike of fear within me. "No."

"What?" Jasper's face crumpled in on itself. He couldn't comprehend why I wouldn't want to tell Carlisle.

"I don't know," I murmured, feeling my face grow hot and the tears prick my eyes again.

That was the thing, I just _didn't know._

I didn't know how I felt about any of it.

I didn't know what was going on.

I didn't know why, exactly, but I didn't want anyone to know about this. Not yet.

"Please." I begged. "I know Edward…it's, like, impossible to keep secrets with him around, and I know that. But…I don't know."

I still couldn't put it into words. Jasper must have felt my hesitancy, the way my stomach twisted and everything in me seemed to scream no. "I don't know what this makes me."

Again, Jasper's eyebrows drew together. "It makes you Maisie. You're still Maisie, just like you were yesterday, or a month ago, or a y—"

He was going to say, 'a year ago', I was sure, but he stopped himself short. The other two—a day ago, a month ago—those might have been applicable and true, but we both knew 'a year ago' was not. I was very much not the same person I had been a year ago, before I had entered a world that was not my own.

I realized then that, try as he might, Jasper would not be able to understand what I was feeling. His empathy be damned; even feeling the roiling tide within me was not going to give him insight. He could sympathize, but he could not empathize, because he had not had this experience. It was not something he had the privilege of focusing on, because Maria had stolen any time he might have had for reflection in those early days by thrusting him into the Southern Wars.

I sighed. "Please. Just not until tomorrow, okay? One day. That's not so much time, is it?"

The set of Jasper's jaw let me know he did not like the idea. Luck was on my side that night, though. The love and respect he held for me must have won out against his better judgment. He gave me an almost imperceptible nod.

"Okay," he agreed, and I sighed again.

"Thank you."

When I peeked at the clock again, it was nearly four in the morning. I groaned. I hadn't hardly got any sleep, and I definitely did not want to go to school today.

"Skip school," Jasper suggested quietly. "Or tell your mother you're sick."

I took his suggestion to mean that Mom would definitely believe me if I said I didn't feel good. It wouldn't even technically be a lie. I did not feel good. I was exhausted, and my head hurt, and my stomach was in tight knots. It wasn't a half bad idea, so I waited an hour to leave Jasper in my bedroom and find my mom.

I knew she would be taking a shower, because she did so every morning at five o'clock sharp. Mom called it her 'teacher biological clock'—weekends or holidays, it didn't matter. She ways always up and in the shower. I let myself into my parents' bedroom, tiptoeing past my still-sleeping father to go into their bathroom.

"Mom?" I called, standing on the other side of the shower curtain.

"Maisie?" she sounded confused. "What are you doing up?"

"I don't feel good," my voice cracked over the words. "Do I _hav_ e to go to school today?"

Mom's head poked out from the edge of the curtain, her face concerned. She motioned me forward, drying her hand on the towel hanging by the tub before touching my face.

"You don't have fever. What doesn't feel good?"

 _Everything._ "My stomach."

Once again, unbidden tears began to fill my eyes. Mom stroked my cheek. I could see her immediately folding in to my request to stay home.

"Of course, you don't have to go. Do you want me to call in and stay with you?"

"It's okay," I told her. "I know you wouldn't be able to get a sub on such short notice."

Forks wasn't exactly flush with substitute teachers. It usually took a week in advance for Mom to take off work.

"Okay," Mom didn't seem as sure as I was that it would be fine for her to go to work. "I'll call at lunch to check on you, okay? And call me or Dad if you need us. You know one of us will work it out."

"I will," I promised. Mom stroked my face again with her damp hand.

"Why don't you go back to bed, honey? I'll call the high school and let them know you'll be out sick today."

I was all to happy to return to my bed, tucking myself back into Jasper's arms. He began running his fingers through my hair again as I rested my head on his chest.

"You should get some sleep," he reminded me gently. I looked up at him, surveying his face from this upside-down angle. His angular jaw, the morning light to weak for me to make out the scars I knew crosshatched his skin there; his golden eyes, shining like soft gold in dim light.

"Make me," I whispered to him. Not a challenge, but a request. I knew there would be no way I could make myself sleep on my own.

He kissed me softly on the forehead. I felt my limbs grow heavy, my mind fuzzy. My eyelids were getting heavy, too heavy for me to keep open, as Jasper pulled me into a blessedly dreamless sleep.

* * *

I woke some hours later, to my phone ringing. Mom was true to her word, calling me to check on me at lunch.

"Hi, honey. How do you feel?'

 _Terrible._ "I'm okay."

"Did you get sick?" _I still am._

"No, I've just been sleeping."

"Okay. I left some soup and crackers out for you. Try to eat something for me, okay?" She finished her question just as Jasper came into my room, a bowl of the soup Mom mentioned in his hands. I smiled despite myself.

"I will."

When I got off the phone with Mom, I saw that I had texts from Gunner.

 _Quit trying to die on me,_ it said. _Going to school without you was boring. At least breathe on me next time you're sick so I can stay home, too._

 _Don't be dramatic_ , I typed back to him. My heart gave a squeeze when I thought about how far off the mark Gunner's concern was. _It'll take more than this to kill me._

 _It's still rude you didn't think of infecting me._

I had done everything with Gunner, for my whole life. I pushed the intrusive thoughts out of my mind, that I was doing more and more without him lately. It was for his own good, his protection. He didn't need to also be entangled in this messy world I had found myself in.

I blew on the soup Jasper brought me to cool it. He had made it too hot, but I didn't bother to correct him. Human food, understandably, was not exactly his forte.

"Thank you," I told him after taking a sip of the soup. He had been waiting for me to eat some of it.

"No problem," he murmured. Though he was keeping an eye on me, I could easily see that his mind was somewhere else. Running through the implications of last night, I was sure. I was just thankful that he had agreed to give me this day to sit with this new information.

"It was the adrenaline, I think," Jasper speculated, sitting cross-legged in front of me on my bed. "Because you weren't able to do it afterword. I'm sorry I scared you, by the way."

Adrenaline. It made sense. There were all kinds of stories where people lifted walls and cars and other heavy objects in bouts of adrenaline-fueled super strength. I'm sure there was also a mental block going on, because I certainly didn't _want_ to hurt Jasper.

"That makes sense." Under Jasper's watchful gaze, I continued to sip my soup until I finished the bowl. He had also brought me a glass of water. All things considered, he really was great at remembering my human needs. "I'm still sorry."

He leaned forward, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear carefully. My impulse piercings were still healing and were tender to the touch.

"It's not like you meant to. I spooked you when I touched you, after all." Maria had spooked me, not Jasper. Stupid Maria and the stupid nightmare she appeared in every night.

Now that I was awake, somewhat less upset, and had eaten and drank something, Jasper offered me his arm again. I knew what he wanted me to do. I took his arm in my hand again, pressing as hard as I could, but…nothing. Not even with two hands could I replicate how I had inadvertently caused his skin to dent beneath my touch.

"Interesting," he murmured to himself more than to me. Despite these test trials, I didn't feel like an experiment. I knew Jasper was trying to figure it out, so he could help me, his intentions well-meaning.

Still, the question left my lips before I could stop it. "You don't think I'm a freak?"

The laugh that bubbled from his lips was so unexpected that it made me jump a little. Jasper kissed me on the forehead.

"Maisie," the laugh was still in his voice as he said my name. "I never sleep, and blood is my preferred diet. Who do you really think would qualify as a freak here?"

* * *

I had asked Jasper for twenty-four hours, and he had graciously given it to me. A twenty-four-hour reprieve, rather than a challenge, like Ava was so fond of. In those hours, I was _kind of_ able to come to terms with what this meant.

My heart still beat. The bruising on my legs from volleyball was evidence that I could still be injured and heal. I was absolutely starving by the time it was supper time, since I had spent the day sleeping and sipping soup.

For all intents and purposes, I figured I was still human. At least for the most part.

Which, I guess, was as much as I could ask for, all things considered.

Here was the thing, though. I knew once Carlisle knew about it that the scrutiny would come back. Scrutiny might have been too strong of a word, because I knew Carlisle was well-meaning, but still. Being under the microscope wasn't going to help with the fact that I had lost all my footing in the world.

I kind of felt like I was having an identity crisis.

I knew it was coming, though, as soon as I gave Jasper the go ahead. So, it was no surprise at all when I found myself in Carlisle's office so the three of us could have an experiment of sorts.

"I think you're right about the adrenaline playing a factor in unlocking the strength, Jasper," Carlisle began. He was speaking slowly, as if he were choosing his words carefully. "If you wouldn't mind, Maisie, I would like to see it for myself."

Edward was the mind reader, but it was easy for me to connect the dots here. Carlisle wanted Jasper to simulate adrenaline for me, to see if that would yield the same results.

"Okay," I agreed, hoping the weariness didn't show through in my voice even if I had no hope of hiding it from Jasper. When I held out my hand, Jasper rested his arm in my palm. He met my eye, lifting one eyebrow in a subtle request for permission. I nodded and closed my eyes, not eager for what I knew was coming.

I wasn't sure if it was for my benefit or for the sake of Carlisle's observation, but Jasper slowly filled me with a replication of the fear and surprise that led to this. Along with this came a memory of the dream. I didn't want it to, and I tried to ward it off, but it was like muscle memory. I had no choice.

This time, since I was awake, the whole situation was different. I was conscious of my fingers tightening around Jasper's wrist. My breath caught when I began to feel his skin give and dent beneath my touch. Jasper ended it quickly, flooding me with calm and love as soon as he had something to show Carlisle.

When I let my eyelids flutter open again, Carlisle was running his fingers along the shallow dents I had caused. His lips were moving, but my hearing apparently had not improved. Whatever Carlisle was murmuring to Jasper was too fast and low for me to hear.

We replicated it one more time, for Peter and Charlotte. Peter's reaction was significantly louder than Carlisle's…and more colorful as well.

"What the _fuck_ , Jasper!" He shouted, to which I took some offense. Not from his cussing, but because Jasper didn't really do anything.

" _'What the fuck, Jasper'_ , nothing," I couldn't help mimicking him. "He didn't do anything special."

This brought on an appreciative smirk from Peter. "You're right, allow me to rephrase: What the _fuck, Miss Maisie._ "

"That's better. Continue."

"In all seriousness," Peter continued, wrapping his arm around Charlotte's shoulders after she leaned forward to get a closer look at the marks I left on Jasper's arms, "we must acknowledge that this is a game changer."

The implications of his words made my stomach twist in knots. Jasper ran his fingers through my hair, something that always seemed to soothe me.

"Perhaps," Jasper conceded carefully. "Carlisle doesn't have much information to go off here, unfortunately. But…he has a friend who might."

This was news to me. Was that what Carlisle and Jasper had been whispering about, earlier?

"Garrett should be here before the week's out."

* * *

 **A/N:** I had always planned on bringing Garrett in, but while reading reviews, it seems he is very popular demanded as well! I also noticed a question about Maisie's accent, if she also had a Southern accent. I have family in the southeast corner of New Mexico (where Maisie is from), so I can tell you that New Mexicans from this part of the state use a lot of phrases that are colloquial terms also used in Texas and definitely speak with a slight Texas accent, though it isn't anywhere near as distinct as a full-on Southern accent.

To answer some another question, no, Maisie hasn't turned. I imagine the venom integrating itself into her bloodstream will bring some other changes, but she doesn't fall under the 'vampire' bracket right now by any means. I hope it is translating onto the page, because it makes sense in my head!

This story is starting to expand now that we're reaching the meatier parts of it. I hope my writing can do my ideas justice, and I hope you are still enjoying it!


	45. Chapter Forty-Four

**_-Chapter Forty-Four-_**

* * *

There was only one other time in my life where I had felt like this, like my body was foreign to me. Surprisingly, it was not the first time that Maria had scarred me. No, the last time I had felt this much disconnect between myself and my body was when I got my first period.

Now that feeling had returned, of being a stranger in my own skin. This time, though, there was no noticeable outward product as proof. My apparent super strength only showed itself when I was more emotional distressed than I usually was. And I was _definitely_ emotionally distressed lately.

Jasper had told me, Charlotte, and Peter that this friend of Carlisle's, Garrett, would be in Forks by the end of the week. Garrett was a nomad, just like Charlotte and Peter.

 _"I'm sure he's had more time to learn about the world without the literal sun beside his side,"_ Peter had said, planting a kiss on Charlotte's cheek and making her smile.

 _"Are you saying I blind you?"_

 _"In the best possible way, my love."_

Their exchange had been sweet, and I knew Jasper's news about this Garrett was supposed to be heartening for me. But here was the thing. I wished our mystery was the only thing going on in my life, but of course it wasn't.

It was midterms week at Forks, with Christmas break approaching. I had five tests in that week, and between the studying and nightmares, I was running on little sleep. Honestly, I was sure that my veins were filled more so with caffeine than they were either blood or venom.

Sleep deprivation, caffeine, emotional instability…I really shouldn't have even been surprised when I burst into tears after dropping my English binder in the parking lot and all the notes I needed to study getting ruined in the snow on Thursday afternoon.

I didn't even say anything, I just stood watching the paper grow soggy and the ink start to run as the snow soaked it. Of course, I couldn't have dropped my binder on the hard-packed snow on the school lawn. No, I had to drop it in the dirty slush created by the tires in the parking lot.

"Maisie," Gunner called to me. He hadn't realized yet that I was crying, only that I had stopped walking to his car. I didn't even realize I was crying until I looked up at Gunner and he said, "Oh, shit."

He picked up my soggy, illegible papers from the ground for me before wrapping his arm around my shoulders and leading me to the car. "What's wrong?"

I swiped at my cheeks with my gloves, which I'm sure smeared my makeup all over the place. How could I tell Gunner what was wrong? I couldn't. Not without putting him in danger, too. This realization made me cry even harder.

Gunner helped me into the passenger seat of his car. When he was inside, too, he turned the heater on and made himself busy trying his best to make sense of my disorganized, dirty English binder.

"Is it Jasper?" He asked quietly, in a whisper, like we weren't alone in the car.

"What?" I asked, still swiping at my face and trying to stem the flow of my tears. "No, of course not."

"Okay, good." I could see Gunner visibly relax when I had calmed his concern about my crying be caused by Jasper. Through my distress over my stupid binder, I felt a swell of affection for that brother of mine. He was obviously ready to fight Jasper over this, if need be.

"Being a senior is stressful," I managed to sniffle out. I hadn't gone to bed earlier than midnight that entire week, not that I slept afterward anyway, thanks to the nightmares. Between that, volleyball, and the constant worry over the unstoppable changes Maria's venom was making in my blood, remembering anything I had tried to study was difficult.

"Yeah? I should cut my losses and drop out, then?" Gunner leaned over and fumbled around in his glove box until he produced a little pack of tissues for me. I pulled out a compact mirror from my backpack and got to work cleaning up my face while Gunner drove.

"Yeah, go ahead. Mom will love that." If dropping out were an option in our family, I was sure I already would have done it.

Even though there was ice and snow on the road, my brother pulled his phone out of his pocket. Eyes flicking from the screen to the windshield while he scrolled, I rolled my own eyes at him.

"Look at this meme," Gunner said, handing the phone over to me. "I don't agree with it."

In this meme he thought I needed to see, Thor, Loki, and Hela from _Thor: Ragnarok_ in different panels. Thor was labeled as the 'oldest' child, Hela the 'middle' child, and Loki the 'youngest' child.

"I call bull," I said immediately. "Ava is Hela all the way."

"See, _exactly!_ That's what I thought as soon as I saw it, so I saved it to show you for validation. You would be Loki."

I pondered that for a moment. Somehow, Gunner's distraction was stopping my crying much better than I was.

"Yeah," I agreed after a bet. "I would be willing and eager to stab you."

"Which, of course, makes me Thor. Otherwise known as the hero of the story."

"It would take both of us, plus some kind of other worldly beast, to stop Ava if she ever realized her power."

"And that is why we need to always keep her in the dark. Once she's self-aware, we're all lost."

I had just proclaimed my willingness to stab my brother, but Gunner really was better than I gave him credit for. He drove around, giving me time to fix my makeup before we went home, talking to me all the while about funny things he had seen on the internet.

So that was the first half of my Thursday. In a way, dropping my notes was a good thing. It gave me an excuse to go to the Cullen's, under the guise of getting new notes to copy from Alice. In my dramatics, I had forgotten that Alice was taking the same English class I was, just at a different hour.

When I pulled up to the Cullen house that night, I was surprised to see my headlights scan over a rangy man with over-grown sandy hair walking toward the house. I assumed this man was Garrett, so I got out of my car.

He noticed immediately.

"You're a brave one," the man called out to me. He walked casually walked into a beam of light streaming from one of the living room windows. The light made his red-hued eyes obvious.

I shrugged as I locked my car. "Either you name is Garrett or you're going to kill me, and I can't really change either of those facts, can I?"

This earned me a boisterous laugh from the man. At the same time, Esme stepped onto the front porch.

"Maisie," she chastised me. Only Esme could make shaking her head an affectionate gesture.

"You can't say I'm wrong," I pointed out to her. She waved her hand at me and approached the man, her arms held out for a hug.

"It's nice to see you again, Garrett."

"Truly too long, Esme. Where's my favorite Englishman? Which is considerably high praise, coming from myself."

Esme had left the front door open behind her, so I let myself in. "Working late, as always. His shift ended three hours ago, but he's still at the hospital."

"Oh, hey, it's a party." Emmett and Rosalie were there, too. Rosalie narrowed her eyes slightly, examining my face.

"Have you been crying?" She asked without preamble or greeting. Bless Rosalie; she was nothing if not unabashedly herself. And by _herself_ , I meant entirely unafraid to come across as offensive.

"Yeah, I was mourning for the death of my English grade before I remembered Alice probably has notes she didn't need." I knew Alice only took notes in any of her classes primarily to blend in, but also for me.

Alice hadn't even been in the living room until I said that, but suddenly she was standing right next to me, the notes in her hand. Unlike her family, Alice was unapologetically _vampire_ as soon as she was no longer around humans. Or, at least, humans who weren't privy to the secret.

"She pulled a Bella," Alice said with one of her tinkling, delicate laughs. "Dropped her notes right in the snow. Luckily, I love her, so I just gave her all the answers to memorize."

"Why didn't you just ask Bella for the notes?" Emmett teased. While Alice had done the kindness of making sure Edward and Bella had entirely different schedules, she had left mine alone. So as to 'not draw suspicion', she had told me, but the twinkle in her eye had told me differently.

"I haven't unlocked that level of self-hatred yet," I told Emmett before turning to Alice. "I _love_ you."

Jasper came down the stairs, too, but at a much slower pace than Alice had used. He kissed the side of me head when he reached me. Taking my hand, he led me over to one of the huge armchairs in the living room, settling me in beside him. I gladly leaned into him, fitting myself against his side.

I wanted to start studying immediately, but I knew that was rude. So instead, I forced myself to pay attention to Esme leading Garrett into the house.

"I don't think we've seen you since we were a family of three," Esme was telling Garrett as she brought him inside. Garrett clapped Edward affectionately on the shoulder when he walked by him on the way to one of the couches.

"Seems you've adopted a few more children, have you? One not so like the others." I immediately liked Garrett. I wondered what time period he was from. It was obvious he had been long in the world; the slight accent on his words was undistinguishable to me, and he carried himself with a surety similar to Carlisle's confidence.

"Alice, Emmett and Rosalie, Jasper and Maisie," Esme introduced in turn. "We currently have more guests, Jasper's old friends Peter and Charlotte, but they're hunting at the moment. Maisie is human, but she's exceptionally versed in our world, as she's already shown you. Don't be afraid to speak plainly in front of her."

Garrett smiled over at me and Jasper. "Then I'll ask plainly, why does she carry a vampire's venom in her blood? It was my understanding Carlisle had some kind of lopsided agreement with some of the locals in this part of the world."

 _Lopsided_ was a good word for the treaty with the Quileute. It had never seemed balanced to me, even if I did understand the logic behind it—keep the humans and those carrying the werewolf gene safe.

"You've encountered this before?" Jasper asked, sitting up a little straighter in earnest. I studied his face; I hadn't realized that Garrett's coming to Forks held so much hope for Jasper.

"Not in America. Carlisle needled me enough that I took a European excursion some centuries ago. I can't vouch for current day France, but it was very _en vogue_ with the top-tier of well-to-do society while I was there."

I kind of wasn't even surprised. The more stories I heard from Carlisle, the wilder I had realized the past was. So, Garrett's revelation was just another example in a list of crazy shenanigans from days gone by.

"Interesting," Edward mumbled to himself. "It was connected to social standing, then?"

"The more vampire venom you had managed to have in your blood, the more fashionable you were. I apologize for the quip, Maisie, but you're still very much bottom-rung."

I think Jasper and I let out twin relieved sighs. I felt him give me a small, reassuring squeeze.

"Good thing you took her down a peg there," Emmett teased. "I was getting worried that Maisie might develop a big head as a side effect."

"I've been here for like, five minutes, and you're already roasting me," I snapped back playfully at him. Jasper and Edward alike had no time for our bickering.

"How much venom have you seen a human be able to handle?" Edward was like a walking, breathing notepad for Carlisle. He would be able to describe Garrett's words _and_ memories when Carlisle returned home.

"Quite a bit. You would be surprised. Human bodies are more resilient than we give them credit for. They built up a resistant, to the venom. If done properly, with the doses spread out over time, humans can sustain quadruple the amount I can smell in Maisie's blood right now."

Another relief. When I had glanced over at Emmett and Rosalie, I had noticed that there was a dark storm brewing on Rosalie's lovely features.

"This was a _game_ to them?" She asked, her voice sharp as broken glass. "Our existence was _fashion?_ "

I couldn't blame Rosalie for her reaction. The whole concept was ridiculous, but then again, humans did a lot of things that were stupid in the name of beauty. I wasn't really surprised that something like this had gone on.

Garrett, unlike the rest of us, was not used to Rosalie's moods. He raised his hands in front of him, as if in surrender. "I never engaged in it myself. I was merely an observer. The Volturi caught on after a time, of course, and put an end to it."

The Volturi. That vague group of vampire overlords that I still didn't _quite_ understand. I was glad that I yet to have a reason to.

Still, Rosalie blew her breath and stood up, using unnecessary precision to pound her way up the stairway. Emmett nearly stood to follow her, but Alice was quicker. "I've got her."

"Why would they do this, though?" Jasper asked. "The humans. Why subject themselves to the pain of the venom? What benefits were there for them to gain?"

Great question there, Jasper. I would not have chosen going through the burning, blinding pain of the venom on my own, no matter the benefits.

"Depended on the amount of venom. The more that was present in the blood, the more the venom wrought changes that made the humans more and more vampire-like. Good health was a benefit a lot of them sought, especially considering the existing medical care available at the time. Strength, speed, and eyesight all improved over time as the amount of venom increased. Eventually, the need for sleep would wane some, though not entirely. Some humans went so far as having to supplement their human diet with blood. _Those_ were the humans who were the closest to being turned. It was a delicate scale. If an inexperienced vampire attempted to supply the venom for a desiring human, it was all too easy to actually kill the human or turn them entirely."

Garrett's words sank over us. I shook my head, astounded by the stupidity of my own kind, to play a game like that. At that time, just having missed all of this great information, Peter and Charlotte let them through the front door. They had been on an animal blood diet for long enough that their eyes were no longer truly red, but more so a dark amber shade as they transitioned to gold.

"These your guests?" Garrett asked jovially. I got the sense that he was not unlike Emmett; happy-go-lucky, and so secure in his own strength and abilities to not be intimidated by others of his kind.

"Old friends of Jasper, here," Peter drawled out his introductions. "My name's Peter, and this is my lovely gal, Charlotte. I take it you're Garrett?"

After handshakes and introductions, Peter pulled another armchair close to Jasper's. Speaking quickly, Jasper caught Peter and Charlotte up on what they had missed.

"Interesting," Peter murmured once he was caught up to speed. "Of course, I doubt Maria is out there dosing humans with venom for money she has no use for. Curious, though, isn't it? I wonder how she managed to come across the practice."

I didn't get to learn a lot about Garrett that night. Most of our conversation revolved around trading information about our current situation. I was wholly relieved to know that nothing else was going to happen to me, unless I wound up with more venom in my blood.

Jasper was relieved, too. He didn't even have to share his mood with me for me to know that. I could feel it in the way his muscles immediately relaxed, in the weight of his hand against my hip while he held me close to him.

Things seemed to be looking up for the first time in this dark drama that had become our lives.

* * *

 **A/N:** This chapter and the next were _almost_ one chapter, but then it would have been ridiculously long. So, I broke them into two chapters. This one is mostly informational; the next one has quite a bit of action.


	46. Chapter Forty-Five

_**-Chapter Forty-Five-**_

* * *

In spite of Jasper's taunts and disbelief in my abilities, I made the little owl living near my house my friend. It only took a couple days of concentrated persuasion once Christmas break started. Now it lived in the tree outside my window, and I fed it gross, frozen, dead rats from the pet store in Port Angeles to maintain our friendship.

I was working on getting the little thing to let me pet it.

"You're something else," Jasper told me with a shake of his head. I had dramatically thrown open my curtains to reveal my new old friends slumbering in the branches of my tree.

"Just let me practice _brujeria_ ," I told him.

"And what do you really know about _brujeria_?" He asked, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist, resting his head on top of mine.

"Besides owl companions? Nothing, but that's okay. I just need the appearance of it." A smoke and mirrors approach. If Maria's psyche was as unstable as Jasper, Charlotte, and Peter insisted, then the appearance was all I would need. "I told you I could do it."

"Yeah, you did." I turned myself in his arms. It was day time, which meant that my parents knew Jasper was there. Which also meant that my bedroom door was open, per my parents' rules. As such, I didn't chance more than a little kiss on his lips.

"One day, I'll get you to have some faith in me." Jasper was not nearly as shy as me. His hand wound its way around to the back of my neck, pulling me back to him for a much lengthier, deeper kiss.

"Oh, Maisie," he murmured, tipping his forehead against mine. "This is one of the only things I have _ever_ had faith in."

* * *

There was a little shop in La Push that my mom loved. An everything-in-one kind of shop—the kind of place where she had once bought a suncatcher made from sea glass and pork chops for dinner that night all in one stop. Mostly what Mom loved about the shop, though, was the infused Epsom salts they sold.

They were better, she insisted, than any brand-name salts she ever had. Especially the menthol infused salts, which she liked to soak Ava in when she had a cold.

 _"Kindergarten is hard on the immune system, apparently."_ I had to cook dinner, because Ava was so achy and stuffy and whiny that she had insisted Mom hold her as soon as she got home. I could hear her talking with Dad a room over, in the living room.

"Stop that," I told Gunner, who was about to throw a pasta noodle at the wall.

"That's how you know it's done!" He argued with me, making me roll my eyes.

"No, it's not. Just use your fingernail, you heathen. If you can push it through easily, then it's done." Gunner stuck his tongue out at me like a five-year-old. I was tempted to stab it with the skewer I was holding. I had no idea why, but pasta and kebabs was Ava's favorite dinner. Mom and Dad had let her pick, since she was sick.

 _"I thought she would have built up immunities in preschool. Remember that kid in her class last year who would lick everything? Cooper, or something like that?"_ I'm sure Dad could come up with some kind of psychological reasoning behind Cooper's excessive licking.

 _"Cooper don't lick things no more,"_ Ava threw into their conversation.

To say Ava was spoiled, as the youngest by twelve years, would be an understatement. I wasn't surprised when, after dinner, Mom sent me and Gunner to La Push to get more of those menthol Epsom salts.

"Don't speed," she made sure to clarify, "but do hurry. I think the shop closes pretty soon."

It was winter in Forks, which meant it was already pitch-black outside. "We're taking mine. We'll never get there on time if you drive."

Like all things in Gunner's life, he took a meandering approach to driving.

"Whatever," he conceded. "But I'm appointing myself DJ."

Which meant, of course, that we listened to a lot of Twenty-One Pilots and Panic! At the Disco while we drove to La Push.

Getting to the shop was uneventful, as was buying the Epsom salts. Our drive back, though…or, I suppose I should say, our _attempted_ drive back.

We had just left La Push when I heard Gunner gasp. I still don't know how he saw it before I did. He reached over, pulling at the steering wheel.

"Maisie, watch out!"

It was too late, of course. There was not much either of us could do, not when there was a vampire intent on wrecking your car for you.

I only got a glimpse of the vampire before the wreck. When Gunner pulled my steering wheel, it made us veer off the road. In the fleeting headlights, I was only able to make out a young man with close-cropped hair and eyes redder than I had ever seen.

Here is the thing about car wrecks: they are much louder than your think. All I could hear was the metallic crunching of the car, the oddly glittering sound as the glass shattered, my brother yelling before the momentum threw him against his window, not yet broken, his head hitting hard enough to knock him out.

Thanks to Gunner, what we mostly hit was a tree, on the passenger side. A quick look in the back seat showed me that side entirely dented inward.

 _Thank you, thank you, thank you,_ I prayed fervently when I realized that, though unconscious with a thin line of blood trickling from his eyebrow, Gunner was okay. Hitting that first tree had stopped us from hitting another, though we were now wedged so tightly among a cropping of them that there was no way I could open Gunner's door to get him out.

I knew that wasn't something you were supposed to do, moved an injured person. But every instinct in my body was yelling at me to just _get Gunner away._

Despite the venom in my blood, I was not quick enough. Not for this vampire, who moved with such blurring speed. He opened my car door before I could, his arm reaching in for me. I pulled my arm away and up, defensively, trying to block my body as I kicked at him. He was scrambling for me, but I kept pulling away before he could get a good hold on me.

Finally, I managed a decent kick to his stomach. I had kicked as hard as I could, and I guess my new-found strength paid off. My stomach twisted at the creaking sound of his skin giving underneath my boot. That was enough to confuse him, and I shifted my weight in the seat, throwing myself forward to tackle him and push him away from Gunner.

It worked, and we both fell into the snow. Only then did I realize I was bleeding somewhere, too, as the snow was smudged red.

"You're both going to die," he snarled at me, his words like gravel in his throat. I scrambled to my feet, putting myself between him and Gunner, still unconscious in the car.

"Like hell," I told him. I was not strong enough to stop him from throwing me down, pinning me to the ground.

Just like in my dreams, my head cracked against the hard, frozen earth, and here were the bright red eyes above me. The vampire smiled wickedly at me, easily pinning my wrists on either side of my head.

"Not looking too great for you, is it?" I felt hot anger fill my veins. He had pinned my arms, but not my legs. Somehow, I managed to get them up, kicking at him again. Not enough to get him off me, but enough to hurt him again. Though my boot definitely sunk into his chest this time, he seemed unphased by it.

I kicked him once more, as hard as I could. Suddenly, his weight was off me, but I knew it had nothing to do with my efforts. A high keening filled the air, and I realized I had saviors in the form of the Quileute pack.

Leah, in her human form, came running from the woods. She hauled me to my feet. "What the hell's going on?"

Though it was freezing, Leah hastily took of her long-sleeve shirt. This left her only in a tank top, but she seemed unbothered by the cold as she pressed the shirt to the back of my head.

"That's your brother, isn't it?" She asked, nodding toward my ruined car. I could only offer a weak nod of my own in return. Over Leah's shoulder, I could see the wolves making quick work of the vampire. "He's okay?"

"I think so." I looked down at myself, realizing my arm was also bleeding. It must have gotten cut when the glass from the windows was flying all over the car.

"See, this is why we needed your help," I heard a booming voice that could only belong to Emmett coming from the trees. There was humor in his tone. I guessed he was talking to Garrett or Peter and Charlotte. "For as long as I've known her, Maisie has thought she's capable of fighting vampires."

Of course, the wolves had reached us before my friends could. We were just feet from La Push. I had no idea where the treaty line officially was, but when Emmett and the others emerged from the trees, it was some feet away.

The biggest wolf—Sam—stepped away from the carnage. He swung his big head to meet Carlisle's eye, giving him what I could only describe to be a nod.

"He says we have permission to cross, just this once," Edward confirmed.

Jasper was flanking my other side immediately, taking over the duty of holding Leah's shirt to my bleeding head.

"Thank you." His words came easily, sincerely, but with him standing so close, it was obvious to me he wasn't breathing. Jasper kept his gaze resolutely trained away from my car and my bleeding brother.

"I wouldn't let her get hurt. We don't know where that bloodsucker came from, but we got here as soon as we could."

"I appreciate it. Truly." I wondered if it bothered Jasper, to have my blood soaking the cloth and surely his hand. If it did, he gave no indication as he gently started leading me forward.

I looked over my shoulder to see Carlisle and Rosalie gingerly working my car door open, so Carlisle could check on Gunner. They were too far for me to hear anything they said, but Carlisle didn't seem too worried over his state.

Garrett, Peter, and Charlotte had not crossed the boundary line with the rest of the Cullens. Neither had Alice; she was some yards away, talking on her cell phone. _Probably calling the police, to make the accident official._

"A newborn, it smells like," Peter commented. None of the three were breathing, either. They would not test their self-control so close to the Quileute pack, with my brother bleeding nearby. Jasper only nodded.

Carlisle flitted to our side. "Your brother is lucky. A small laceration to his forehead, that's all. I expect they will want to take the both of you to the hospital anyway, once the police arrive. Alice called them in. What exactly did Gunner see?"

"He saw the vampire before I did. We crashed off the road because Gunner turned the wheel, so we wouldn't hit him in the street. But when we crashed, it knocked him out."

Carlisle let loose an audible sigh. "We're all lucky, then. As the wolves have already handled the newborn, we should all go. I've asked Leah to stay with you; Alice gave Leah's name when she called in the accident."

My injuries got a quick examination before the Cullens, Garrett, Peter, and Charlotte left, too. Carlisle determined they would be more than fine, not requiring stitches.

"I'll see you at the hospital," he told me. "I'm sure I'll be called in."

Jasper was the last to leave, watching as the wolves carried off what remained of the vampire. When he seemed satisfied, he motioned Leah forward to hand me back off to her. He left me with a kiss to my forehead and a squeeze of my hand.

"He really loves you, huh?" Leah asked, leading me back to my car. She sat with me in the back seat, neither of us daring to move Gunner while we waited.

"I would hope so," I told her. Without the immediate threat of the vampire, the adrenaline was leaving my system. It was replaced with aches from the wreck and subsequent fight. I felt tears start to prick my eyes with the onset of the pain. I was suddenly very aware of every bump and scratch I had taken. "I really, really love him."

Leah snorted before her voice softened. "I guess I can see why, if I pretend he's not a vampire."

I did my best to smile at her. The sirens were close now, intent on saving us. Little did these well-meaning people know we had already been saved.

* * *

Gunner walked away with four stitches in his forehead and, miraculously, no concussion. We both had superficial cuts from the glass; the cut on the back of my head was also wrongly credited to the glass.

I had no choice but to tell as much of the truth as I dared. I told Charlie Swan that we crashed because there was a person standing in the road, and we had swerved not to hit him.

I couldn't tell Gunner not to tell the truth without giving him a reason to lie.

"Please don't be mad," I begged Mom and Dad when they made it to the hospital. The hugged both Gunner and I at the same time. Mom was still holding Ava, so it easily became a five-person group hug.

"Why would we be mad?" Mom asked, kissing Gunner's forehead just above his stitches. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Officer Swan said y'all swerved so you wouldn't hit a person in the road," Dad continued. "If anything, it's _that_ person's fault, whoever they are."

"I pulled on her wheel," Gunner blurted. "It's my fault Maisie's car is ruined."

Dad waved Gunner's concern away. "Better to hit a tree than a person any day. Don't worry about the car. We'll get it fixed, if we can."

Mom nodded in agreement, settling the matter. Ava scrunched her nose at both me and Gunner.

"You're dirty." I could still see tiny flecks of glass glittering in Gunner's red hair, and both of us were bloodstained here and there. Ava's assessment wasn't wrong.

"There are worse crimes," Gunner assured her.

On the way home, Gunner gingerly rested his head against the window. Carlisle had given him permission to sleep since he showed no signs of head injury, but he had strict instructions to return to the hospital if any headaches or nausea came about.

I took a long, hot bath when we got home. The water stung on my cuts, but I didn't care. The pain was only evidence we had survived, somehow. I sunk into the water, carefully rinsing the blood from my hair and scalp. It tinted the bath water pink; I drained it and refilled the tub. The hot water felt too good on my sore muscles. I didn't want to leave it yet.

When I finally did get out of the tub, I ran my fingers through my damp hair in lieu of a comb. I didn't want to tug too hard, to open my scalp back up. I knew I would be going to bed alone that night; Jasper had already snuck in to check on me and apologize. He was going scouting with Peter, Emmett, and Edward, he told me, to try to track where the newborn had come from.

I got dressed and walked back into my room, still finger-combing my hair. Sitting at my vanity, I started to put my damp hair into a braid.

"You missed a strand." For the second time that day, I had failed to notice a vampire close by. This one, however, was more or less friendly.

"Rosalie!" I whisper-shouted. "You scared me."

"It's ridiculously easy to slip through these security systems you humans have." She crossed my room in a few gliding strides. Rosalie inclined her head subtly toward my door. I nodded, and she closed it quietly before walking toward me. "May I?"

I let Rosalie undo the braid I had started. She picked up my brush, running it through my hair with amazing gentleness. "I suppose I feel that I owe you an apology."

Rosalie brushed my hair slowly and thoroughly, making sure to remove every tangle. I watched her in the vanity mirror all the while. "I can't see why."

An almost-laugh escaped her lips. "Don't lie to me for the sake of my feelings. I haven't been kind enough to take yours into consideration over this past year, have I?"

"No," I admitted, which made Rosalie smile.

"You don't know much about me, do you, Maisie?" Rosalie had set my brush aside, moving on to sectioning my hair for a new braid.

"Jasper is a big believer in personal privacy."

"I know. It's something I highly appreciate about my brother. He was a breath of fresh air, when he came along, compared to Edward's natural tendency toward invasiveness."

I smiled tentatively in agreement. This was something I had always, quietly, agreed with Rosalie on. Edward's mindreading was useful, yes, but it was also so intrinsic to his person that sometimes the nonchalant way he approached his gift was frustrating.

Rosalie's fingers were gentle, making quick work of my hair. When she reached the end, she tied it off for me. "May I sit?"

"Um, yeah, go ahead." I motioned vaguely with my hand towards the seating options in my bedroom: desk, bed, window seat. Rosalie perched herself on the edge of my bed, so that we were directly across from one another.

"I realized something, today, after your…newborn fiasco. You and I are not so different as I once thought." I felt my eyebrows raise in surprise. This was news to me, certainly. She smiled softly at me. "I know, it's a shocking revelation, isn't it? Allow me to explain, though I will warn you, mine is not a happy story."

As she talked, Rosalie pleated my bed spread between her fingers. A nervous habit of sorts, I supposed. Like Jasper's habit of tugging at his sleeves.

"I was eighteen in the year 1933. The Depression had begun just a handful of years earlier, and my human father's bank job was blessedly unaffected. My family was a rare breed, with a steady income. I was lovely then, too. The men in Rochester had watched me since the year I turned twelve, and all of my human mother's friends lamented over the fact that their daughters didn't have my beauty. I was a silly, shallow little thing, but I was happy with the attention and my father's ability to buy me new dresses and shoes when I asked."

Rosalie's voice was like music as she wove her tale as effortlessly as she had woven my hair.

"It took me three decades, but I finally came to peace with my mother's role in my becoming a vampire sometime before 1970. I understand, now, that she meant well; she only wanted me to be taken care of in a time when it was hard for a woman to make it on her own. She had no idea what was to become of me. I am thankful that my two younger siblings were boys. They had opportunities I never would have."

"You had brothers?" I interrupted before I could stop myself. Rosalie's eyes turned sad.

"Yes, and I loved them fiercely. I remember them still. They both had the sweetest blonde curls. My favorite thing to do was to look after them when they were babies. They were only twelve and ten when, to the best knowledge of my family and the Rochester community, I died. They were angelic, entirely unlike my ex-fiancé."

It was news to me that Rosalie had been previously engaged before Emmett. I watched her face carefully, the way her mouth twisted with a bad taste over the word _fiancé_.

"My mother orchestrated the whole thing. Royce King II was the son of the bank owner my father worked for. It was all too easy for her to 'forget' to send my father's lunch with him to work. I was sent with the errand instead, with my hair curled wearing my newest dress. Royce took notice immediately. He sent me so many flowers—violets, to match my eyes; I still can't stand the smell of them—that they filled my entire bedroom with their petals and scent. Relationships worked differently back then. We were engaged before six months had fully passed.

"Now, I truly had it all, at least in my vapid mind. I was young and gorgeous. I had pretty dresses courtesy of my father and Royce. Everyone _gushed_ over what a great match my engagement was; what an unbelievably beautiful pride I was going to make. It should have been the happiest time of my life, wouldn't you think? Perhaps it would have been, if I had remained delusional, but…instead, I went to visit my dear friend Vera. She was already married and had the dearest little boy. He was a lovely, sweet baby."

I wasn't sure, exactly, what Rosalie's friend had to do with the story. As she spoke of Vera and her husband, though, her face began to cloud over.

"Seeing Vera with her husband made me realize that my engagement with Royce was a sham. I didn't love him, I just loved the attention being with him brought me. Hell, I hardly knew a thing about Royce other than he liked to show me off, and before that night, that had been enough for me."

Rosalie sighed here. The whole time she had been talking to me, though she was looking at me, it was obvious that she wasn't really _seeing_ me. Her eyes were unfocused, far off. Rosalie was in her memories more than she was in my bedroom.

"Perhaps it was my own fault. I knew the danger of being a woman walking alone at night. But when I met Royce and a group of his friends, I didn't expect… _'Isn't she lovely, boys?'_ he said. _'I'm in a sharing mood'._ I tried to run, I tried to scream. The were so drunk, it reeked in the air. Five against one is not very fair odds. I didn't stand a chance."

She didn't need to elaborate for me to understand what happened. Her eyes flicked up—a deep black; when was the last time she fed?—and met mine, truly. Rosalie watched my own realization play out over my face.

"Oh, Rosalie…" I was standing before I even thought about it. Sitting beside her on my bed, I was suddenly afraid. Rosalie had never been as open and friendly with me as the rest of her family. I wanted to hug her, but I also didn't want to offend her in some way, so I settled for taking her hands. They wrapped around mine, almost too tight, but I didn't correct her.

"I hated them. I hate them still." The conviction in her voice was clear. "Carlisle found me there, exposed and dying in the gutter. He saved me, and for a long time I was not able to say _thank you._ I had loved being human, loved my family, loved the idea of having my own one day, like Vera. Though Carlisle saved my life, he also took all of those things from me. It wasn't until Emmett came along that I was able to start appreciating my new life."

Rosalie didn't break eye contact as she told me what she did to them. "Carlisle had a fantastic medical collection even then. I learned what I needed to. I wanted my family to be safe, for other girls to be safe, from those monsters. So, I killed them, careful not to spill their blood. I knew I would make a mistake if I spilled their blood. Edward lectured me plenty before I actually went through with it. I saved Royce for last. When I came for him, I wore my wedding gown. Sometimes I still daydream about the horror on his stupid face when he realized what was going to happen to him."

I didn't realize, as Rosalie spoke, that I was gripping her hands, too. She looked down at our hands, one eyebrow arching elegantly upward.

"Goodness, Jasper wasn't exaggerating. You _are_ strong for a human, now."

I loosened my fingers immediately, I tried to withdraw my hands, but Rosalie kept hold. "I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize. Another commonality between us: I can tell you hate them, too." Her mouth crooked into the ghost of a smile. "I realized today something I should have realized when we were dealing with James; the first time you willingly put yourself in a vampire's way for the sake of your family. Aspects of human life are important to you, too, aren't they?"

"I love my family, and my friends." Rosalie nodded at my words.

"Yes, you've made that obvious even to someone so self-centered as me. You're a smart girl, Maisie. I'm sure you know that being a turned into a vampire would be the only thing that kept you truly safe in this situation. Yet, you haven't asked for it. I won't ask you why. I suspect I already know, and it's why I have come to see the two of us as not so different."

I didn't deny the truth she spoke. I was hesitant to join the world of vampires, fully.

"I might not have a choice, either, when it all comes down to it. But I would like to keep at least the illusion of the choice for as long as I can."

This made Rosalie smile softly and nod again. "It's as I thought, then. Apologizing is hard for me. You can ask Edward, he'll gladly tell you how petulant and stubborn my thoughts are. So I do not say this lightly, Maisie, when I apologize for how I have treated you in the past. I hope you can accept my regrets."

I smiled at her. "Of course, I do."

"I suppose I should be thankful that we ended up with you in our family, rather than Bella Swan. If I had to pick among humans, I would pick you. It still amazes me that Jasper and you ended up together…but it makes sense, too. You compliment him. Where he is calculating and careful, you are brash and impulsive. Where he is reserved, you are uninhibited. It makes sense, despite your being human. I hope, one day, we can be sisters, Maisie, the way you and Alice already are."

"I would like that," I told Rosalie honestly. It had been a long time in the making, this relationship between the two of us, but I could see Rosalie's point. It seemed, at our core values, we truly weren't so different from one another.

Rosalie left me as quietly as she came. My head was still swimming with her story when I crawled into bed. I was just drifting to sleep when a knock on my door woke me.

It was Gunner. Standing in the dark hallway, his pale skin shone in the shadows.

"Hey," I told him, letting him into my room. He looked upset.

"Maise," his voice broke over my name. "Please tell me I'm not crazy."

"Why would you be crazy?"

"I know how this is going to sound, but I swear…Maisie, did you see…" he kept stumbling over his words, trying to phrase them in a way that would make sense. "That guy we almost hit, please tell me you saw what I saw. He…he had shining red eyes, didn't he?"

The blood ran cold in my veins. Before I could school my expression, it must have flashed across my face.

"You _did_ see it," Gunner breathed out, relieved. His brow relaxed, the skin no longer tugging at his stitches. "I'm not crazy."

"You're not crazy," I said hollowly.

Gunner wasn't crazy, but I was _fucked._

* * *

 **A/N:** Quite a bit more happens in this chapter! I told you we would have much more action for the remainder of this story ;)

Some of you have been speculating that Gunner might work out the existence of vampires. I didn't want to comment on that before, but now, I think it's plain to see.

I hope everyone has a great week! I will be busy, so I don't know if I will be able to update again this week, which is why I wanted to leave y'all with two chapters. I will be reading reviews, as always, even if I don't have time to update! I would love to know what you think!


	47. Chapter Forty-Six

**_-Chapter Forty-Six-_**

* * *

The morning after our wreck, Gunner and I stood on the side of the road with Dad, watching a guy from the local auto shop pull my car out of the snow that had fallen last night.

 _"Adios, carro,"_ I murmured into my hot chocolate, making Gunner laugh.

"There's no way _carro_ is the actual Spanish word for 'car'."

I leaned my head against my brother's arm while we watched. Even though he was teasing me, I was so incredibly grateful that he was alive to do it. I was still amazed that, after everything that had happened last night, those four little stitches were the only thing he walked away with.

"Excuse me, French boy. _Who_ took two years of Spanish classes? _Who_ is dating someone fluent in Spanish? Oh, right. Not you." Gunner had chosen French for his foreign language requirement at Forks High, only because that's what his best friend Derrick was taking.

Dad shook his head from his spot beside us. "You would think being in a car wreck together would make y'all bond or something. I thought it would take more than twelve hours for you two to start arguing again."

Our dad wasn't entirely wrong. Gunner and I had argued since we could talk, I think. But our arguing had never been malicious.

"I'm just keeping him down to earth," I defended myself. Gunner quickly reiterated what I had said, adding that it was necessary because I 'naturally had a big head'.

The damage to my car, according to the auto shop guy, was mostly cosmetic. He said the body was damaged, and obviously all the windows were busted, but none of the car's framework had been destroyed. There was hope, he said.

He pulled my car away from La Push, back toward Forks. Dad planned on following him back to the shop. Gunner and I had drove here in his car, though, so while Dad went one way to follow my car, we went the other for breakfast.

There was this place in La Push called River's Edge that Gunner liked. I was being a bit of a brat—I wanted to talk to Gunner, but I wanted to do it where no one would overhear us. The thought of admitting my mistake was terrifying to me. I didn't want Jasper or the others to be angry or disappointed in my slip.

So, I thought, _maybe_ I could convince Gunner what we had seen had not been accurate. That was my plan, at least.

"You're so gross," I wrinkled my nose at Gunner's fish hash. I _hated_ seafood, which had been fine when we lived in New Mexico. Not so much now, when we lived so close to the sea.

"How are your carbs?" He shot back, pointing his fork at my fry bread and hash browns.

 _"Wonderful."_ While Gunner chewed his food, he gingerly pressed his finger to his forehead.

"You don't realize how much your face moves until you have stitches in it."

When we were little, Mom used to say Gunner and I had some kind of sibling telepathy, even though we weren't twins. We always knew where the other was, somehow. Before we learned to speak to our family, Mom said we had our own garbled language that only the other could understand.

Gunner's eyes met mine, and I knew without his saying a word what he was remembering.

 _"How?"_ he whispered. I shook my head. Gunner knew better than to assume it meant I didn't know; he had always been too good at reading my face. He narrowed his eyes, twisting his mouth into a pout. "What do you know?"

I shook my head again. His good eyebrow shot up in an unspoken question.

"I can't say," I told him honestly. "It's not my place."

He pursed his lips again, watching me. It was almost like a stare down.

"It's like New Mexico all over again," Gunner said, exasperated, after a beat.

"What do you mean?" I felt my heart kick up in pace. I knew, for a fact, that I had never told anyone put Jasper about the truth of what happened there.

"Your 'cat scratch'. I've never believed that story, just so you know." It had never occurred to me that Gunner would have seen through my bluff. Or that he would have kept that fact to himself for all these years. "I mean, c'mon. You were never scared off the dark until whatever happened that night."

He wasn't wrong about that.

"Remember those ornery boys that were a few years older than us? That group that would play hide and seek in the graveyard? They told all the boys about seeing a woman with red eyes in the cemetery. I thought they were just bullshitting, but…"

Gunner let his sentence run off. I wasn't sure if it was because of whatever connections he was making in his brain, or because there was a sudden influx of customers. The entire Quileute wolf pack came into the restaurant. Bella was with them, too, and a few other girls. I wondered if any of them were the 'imprints' Leah had told me about.

I caught Leah's eye and smiled and waved at her. Leah waved back and started to walk over, which made Gunner glare at me. I was relieved, though, to have a distraction.

"Hey," Leah greeted both of us, sliding into my side of the booth with me. "Back so soon when we traumatized you last night?"

"We had to come get my car," I told her, but Leah wasn't paying attention to me. She was looking at Gunner.

"Oh, we abused you, too," Leah said, motioning toward Gunner's stitches.

"I just wanted to join Maisie's facial scar club," Gunner jabbed at me. I kicked him—softly, because I didn't want to accidentally hurt him—under the table. My brother could be stubborn, and right now he was using it to his advantage.

"He'll live," I told Leah. "If anyone is gonna take him out, it's gonna be me."

I raised my eyebrows at Gunner, trying to mimic the way that Mom could silently reprimand us to remind us of our manners. Gunner rolled his eyes at me before finally, really looking at Leah.

And when he did, a blush instantly bloomed in his cheeks. Face as red as his hair, Gunner mumbled, "Thank you for staying with us. Maisie told me about it."

Gunner's show of manners sparked a blush of Leah's own. This was very interesting to me, but also extremely off-topic. I knew Gunner wouldn't let me deviate the conversation once Leah returned to the pack.

"It was no big deal." Leah dropped her eyes to the table for a moment, fiddling with one of my little packets of jelly. "I'm glad you guys are okay."

Leah was still speaking in plurals, but that was as far as I was included in this little conversation. I might as well have been a ghost in the booth sitting next to Leah. I rested my chin in my hand, watching my brother smile shyly at Leah.

It dawned on me that a relationship between Leah and Gunner would be to my advantage. Convenient? Yes. Deceitful and manipulative if I tried to force it? Yes. Definitely not worth it. I valued my brother and Leah over that convenience for sure.

I decided instead to put my faith in the universe that it might throw me a bone here. Considering all these shy glances the two were exchanging, my faith might not have been far off.

"Leah!" A voice called from the other side of the restaurant. "If you actually want to be included, you better get back over here!"

A pack meeting of sorts, I supposed. It made sense. There were a lot of things going on in Forks as of late. Leah murmured some hasty goodbyes to us and hurried over to the group of tables the pack had commandeered.

"So…" I whispered, but Gunner already knew where I was taking the conversation.

"Don't talk to me," he told me immediately, taking our ticket up to the counter to pay. I rolled my eyes at his back, took one more bite of my fry bread, and followed my brother.

* * *

Gunner dropped the subject for a few days, I think because his birthday and Christmas were a great distraction. It was a great distraction for me, too, honestly.

When I asked Gunner what he wanted for his birthday that year, he said 'a gingerbread house'. Entirely deadpan. So, I spent the first week of Christmas break making him a gingerbread house, using the top-of-the-line oven at the Cullens' house that was only ever used by me.

"Couldn't you have just bought a gingerbread house?" Garrett asked me. He was fascinated by what he called 'modern human habits'. Judging by the fact that Garrett's eyes were still red, I doubted he had any intentions of changing his own habits, like Peter and Charlotte had.

"Yeah, I guess. But the pre-made gingerbread is gross, and I'm pretty sure he'll dismantle all of my hard work to eat it, so I want it to actually taste good."

Jasper lounged in the unused kitchen nook, happy just to be near me while he read and I cooked. He did throw out unhelpful suggestions now and again, such as, "Think you could stop burning your fingers over there?"

"Cooking is dangerous," I shot back. "It's a different kind of skill than hunting is."

Even though I was teasing him, I did feel a little bad. Poor Jasper was so connected to my own moods and feelings that, of course, he was feeling all my aches and pains as my muscles righted themselves from the car wreck.

I had told Jasper about Gunner's suspicions. Which meant, of course, that Carlisle knew, as well. Alice's visions were so inconclusive, though, that she couldn't make a solid guess either way what he would do. As such, Carlisle was relatively unconcerned. I wished I could say the same for myself.

I trusted Alice's visions, of course. But I also knew my brother.

When all of the pieces were done baking, Alice flounced her way into the kitchen to help me assemble the house.

" _Some_ human things are actually fun," she told Garrett, continuing the conversation. Alice picked up a piping bag, ready to help. "Though I can't imagine eating any of this. It all smells sickly sweet."

"That's what human holidays are about, eating your way into a sugar coma. Literally every holiday involves eating in some way."

Alice scrunched up her delicate little nose at the thought. Human food to Alice was the same as their blood diet to me. Each of us understood it was what the other needed, but neither of us were going to go around trying the other's way of life.

While we worked, Garrett told us war stories. Peter drifted into the kitchen, to listen to the Revolutionary War tales Garrett had. There was a lot of teasing thrown Jasper's way.

"Barely a hundred years later, and some idiots tried to tear this beautiful country of ours in half." Jasper flicked his eyes upward, taking the time to stop his reading and quirk an eyebrow at Garrett.

"Texas never did rejoin the Union," Jasper reminded him. "So I guess the re-unification didn't go as planned, did it?"

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes Jasper was such a Texan that it hurt.

"What are these called again?" Alice asked, holding up a purple sugar-coated candy. "They're cute."

"Gumdrops." She used the gumdrops to mimic multi-colored Christmas lights around the roof. I piped white icing around the windows, making them look like they were framed in snow. Though Alice had never made a gingerbread house before, she was exceptionally skilled at it. She even used powdered sugar to coat the whole house in a snow-like dusting.

We left it to dry on the counter, each of us climbing on the kitchen stools to listen to more of Garrett's stories. I popped a leftover gumdrop in my mouth.

"When I first met Carlisle," Garrett was telling us, "it was the worst time to be an Englishman in the colonies. Tensions had just hit a breaking point. I was still human, the first time I met him. Here was this man—new to the colonies himself, his accent was still hanging around back then—English as they come, treating the wounds of patriots."

Alice beamed with pride beside me. Jasper was, too; his I could literally feel. He didn't hold his emotions from me, like he typically did with other people. Our emotional climates bled into one another's, like watercolors.

"I was amazed that he supported the patriot cause. I was even more amazed, after my transformation, when I realized he was a vampire. _I_ obviously could not control my bloodlust. Still struggle with it from time to time, if I'm being honest. But there was Carlisle, surrounded by blood day in and day out, never once tempted to take the tiniest taste."

It was actually pretty cozy in the Cullen house. I guess we had no right to be enjoying the holiday season, with all that was going on. But it was hard not to, when Rosalie had once again decorated the whole house, and there were engaging guests like Charlotte, Peter, and Garrett around.

Jasper tried to insist that he didn't want a gift that year for Christmas, but lucky for him, I didn't listen. First of all, I think I'm funny even when other people don't, so one part of Jasper's gift was Sun Tzu's book _The Art of War._ I couldn't stop giggling at the idea of giving a strategy book to someone with more combat experience than I could be bothered to count.

My other gift for Jasper was nicer. More sentimental. Quite a few times, Jasper had lamented about how much of the world he had missed while serving in Maria's army. _"We weren't exactly concerned with news or modern events,"_ he would tell me.

Using the microfiche at the library, I searched through all those missing years of Jasper's life for interesting stories or photographs. I bound the articles and photographs myself using some of the library tools. So, technically, I was giving Jasper books again this year. Might be a little unoriginal, but I knew he was going to love it.

Which, he did, but Jasper's gift for me made mine look miniscule in comparison. Last year, he had given me the gold bracelet that I had taken to wearing every single day. I guess Jasper thought my bracelet needed a companion.

"Close your eyes," Jasper instructed me, smiling all the while. I did so obediently, and felt Jasper pick up my right hand. My heart started to beat faster before I even felt the cool circle of metal slip over my ring finger.

A promise ring. Pretty and twinkling on my finger; rose gold with translucent pink stones, just like my bracelet. A matching set, now. I felt my breath hitch when I opened my eyes.

"I asked your dad first," Jasper backtracked a little. "He said you could have it if you wanted it."

"You asked my dad," I repeated, the thought making me laugh and tear up at the same time. I turned my hand back and forth, watching the light catch on the stones. "You're so old."

I hugged Jasper then, because I couldn't form any other words. I knew Jasper would understand how much it meant to me. Jasper wrapped his arms around me and rested his head on top of mine. I was out of words, but he wasn't.

"I wanted you to have a reminder, always, that I'm not going anywhere. We're going to see this whole situation through."

Neither of us were very comfortable, still, discussing Maria. Especially when we had these peaceful bursts where nothing was happening and we were able to have time together. I pressed myself closer to him, taking in the feel of Jasper and this ring on my hand.

That night, when Jasper had gone to hunt with Peter and Charlotte, I took Maria's note out of my jewelry box. I turned it back and forth, looking at the yellowed paper, flipping between the poem meant for Jasper and the note meant for me.

The paper was old, a musty smell wafting from it as I moved it in my hands. I looked from the paper to my ring, glittering even in the pale moonlight streaming into my bedroom. I took the note into my bathroom, grabbing a pack of matches laying next to a candle on my vanity on my way.

Turning on the shower to dampen the smell of burning, I took Maria's note to the sink. I read over it one more time, my stomach squeezing every time I read that stupid word. Preciosa. I struck a match, held Maria's note carefully in one corner, and lit the opposite corner on fire.

The flames popped over the old ink, but I held on to the paper. It ate away slowly, pieces blackening and curling and falling into the sink. Those flames smelled like history burning, and I was glad for it.

I held onto the paper while the flames crept closer. Only when they began licking at my fingers, teasing at burning my skin, did I drop the paper. When the fire burned itself out, what was left of the paper curling into itself as if it were dying, I turned on the tap water and washed it away.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ A little bit of a shorter chapter, but I have missed you guys! I have two weeks off so I am hoping I will be able to get more chapters out soon. Thank you, again, for all of your lovely comments on this story! They make my heart so happy.


	48. Chapter Forty-Seven

**_-Chapter Forty-Seven-_**

* * *

Maisie's second dose of venom seemed to limit its effects to enhancing her strength and other senses. This was a great relief to Jasper, that after the initial dosing, there was no pain or fevers for her. It had become a habit of his to check her emotions even more regularly, fearful despite Garrett's information he had provided, that it would all take a darker turn at any moment.

She was, blessedly, still mostly human. The car wreck was evidence enough of that. Though her blood held no appeal to Jasper anymore, the fact that the newborn still reacted was oddly comforting to Jasper.

Carlisle had been full of praise following it.

 _"The feel of Maisie's blood on your hand didn't bother you?"_ Carlisle had asked. _"I told you, Jasper, you've made tremendous progress of late."_

Had it been Gunner's blood instead, though, Jasper was certain it would not have had the same ending. Perhaps it would. He wasn't sure. Jasper had been holding his breath, after all. But did it make a difference, because he loved Maisie? Or, without the scent lighting his throat on fire, would touching a human's blood still be inconsequential to him?

He couldn't tell. There were too many questions in his world, and most of them Jasper had no desire to answer.

As had become a theme in his life, there was a new issue at hand.

"She's rather problematic, isn't she?" Rosalie was lounging on the couch, thumbing through the NYU spring semester course catalog. She was referring to Maisie's slip in confirming Gunner's glimpse of the red eyes of the newborn they swerved to avoid hitting just a week ago. Surprisingly, there was no malice in Rosalie's voice.

Something had shifted in Rose's and Maisie's relationship. Jasper wasn't sure _what_ but he could _feel_ it. Added to Maisie's usual respect admiration was an undercurrent of sympathy and protectiveness. Rosalie was no longer irritated, though sometimes the jealousy was still present. More and more, there was a growing fondness buried deep within her.

"Would you lie to Edward, if the tables were turned?" Jasper asked. One flick of her wrist and a raise of an eyebrow was all the answer Jasper needed. Chuckling, he rephrased.

"Would you lie to me, then? Or Ali?" This time, Rosalie pursed her lips.

"You know I wouldn't. I suppose it doesn't matter, at least not yet. Edward said the boy hasn't connected anything to our family. He can hardly see what's right in front of him, like most humans."

Gunner may not have put two and two together, but would he, if he saw Garrett? The nomad had kept largely to himself since arriving in Forks. He didn't venture into town with any of the others, the way Peter and Charlotte would. And when Garrett hunted, it was far, far away.

Alice came blurring down the stairs. "If you lied to me, ever, I would never forgive you. We've got a visitor."

An uncertain knock announced the presence of a guest moments after Alice had. Jasper knit his eyebrows together. _Why was Kate here?_ Alice only shrugged at him and waited for Esme to get the door.

"Kate!" Esme exclaimed, pulling her into her arms for a hug. She was too pleased to see their cousin to question her presence in Forks. "What do we owe the honor?"

She must have travelled on foot from Alaska. Her blonde hair was wild around her face, with some debris in the form of small bits of foliage dotted throughout. Kate's mouth was set in a determined line; her eyes black as night from who knew how many days without feeding.

"I haven't seen Irina since the summer, and Tanya neglected to let us know how things have progressed here. I came as soon as I got it all out of her."

"You didn't shock her _too_ much, did you?" Alice asked, clearly amused. Jasper knew better than any of their siblings how Alice had disapproved of Edward's pseudo-relationship with Tanya. Kate gave one small, nearly imperceptible shake of her head.

"She'll live."

The rest of the Jasper's family and friends began to drift toward the living room. Peter and Charlotte emerged from their guest room; Edward and Emmett came inside, covered in a dusting of snow, from chopping wood. Carlisle and Garrett abandoned their poker game in the kitchen.

Jasper can't help the smirk that overtakes his lips when Garrett sees Kate. The attraction is nearly overpowering. If it weren't for how upset Kate was, he might have laughed out loud over it. Behind him, he hears Garrett whisper, "Who is that?"

"Our cousin Kate, from Alaska," Carlisle explained, striding forward to envelop Kate in a hug of his own. Though Kate allowed both Esme and Carlisle to embrace her, the anger was still roiling under her skin.

"I came as soon as I heard," Kate reiterated again. "Where is Maisie?"

A small snippet of forest away, in her home. If Jasper listened carefully, he could hear Maisie reading bedtime stories to Ava. He could picture the two sisters in his mind, blonde heads bent close together over the storybook.

"She's safe," Jasper reassured her. "We all keep a close eye on her. As do the Quileute."

"I remember the female wolf defending her at the wedding. They're friends, then?" There was a collective nod making its way through the room.

"Freaky, huh? I think we're _way_ cooler, but _apparently_ we weren't enough. Maise needed more supernatural beings in her life."

Kate pursed her lips, then nodded. Jasper could only guess at the thoughts running through his cousin's mind. A quick look at Edward let Jasper know the thoughts must not have been too kind; his brother was looking sufficiently chastised, his eyes trained on the floor. It was obvious that Tanya had learned the information about Maisie and their current situation from Edward.

"Irina has always been prone to throwing fits," Kate lamented. "But I never thought she would do something like this. I am so, so sorry, and I'm not leaving until all of it's resolved."

"That's certainly your choice," Carlisle said gently. "But not an obligation. I hope you understand that."

"Right now, all I know is that I'm furious at my sisters for their selfishness and their stupidity and that I'm staying." The conviction in her voice left no room for arguing. Alice immediately offered to share her room with Kate, as the Cullens were out of guest rooms with already accommodating Peter, Charlotte, and Garrett. They didn't typically have guests, obviously.

Turning to Jasper, Kate softened her tone. "Will you bring her over soon? I would like to apologize to her."

"Of course," Jasper promised. He knew that Kate had been Maisie's favorite at the wedding. She would be excited to know that Kate was in Forks, he was sure. He wouldn't have to wait long to tell Maisie, either; a text buzzed through on his phone moments later.

 _Leah says there's a new vampire in town?_

 _It's only Kate,_ Jasper typed back. _Unless they know something we don't?_

 _Kate's here?!_ This was only the first in Maisie's texts, coming broken and shortened now in her excitement.

 _Leah said whoever it was didn't go near their land._

 _I'm sure it was just Kate._

 _No one else would realize._

 _How long is she here for?_

Jasper smiled at Maisie's enthusiasm, trying to answer her questions while still keeping up with the conversation going on between Carlisle and Kate. His father was giving Kate a synopsis of their current situation.

Kate crossed her arms while she listened, head tilted to the side. One of the leaves stuck in her hair brushed against her cheek. When Carlisle finished his run-down of information, Kate shook her head and gave a little huff.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, huh?" She teased, raising an eyebrow at Jasper, the black of her eyes twinkling like obsidian rock.

* * *

Were it not for the current situation at hand, Jasper was certain he never would have found himself at Mike Newton's New Year's Eve party. As things stood, however, he thought it was reasonable that he had reservations about Maisie attending the party alone.

In the full moonlight, he watched Maisie shake her hair free from her helmet. With her car still undergoing repairs at a rate that annoyed Rosalie to no end, Jasper and his motorcycle had become a primary mode of transportation to Maisie.

"Oh, look," she said, pointing to two other motorcycles parked on the lawn. "You started a trend."

Jasper's motorcycle was a dark, sleek thing. This pair of bikes were more rugged, he had to be honest, and they reeked of werewolf. "I'll bet you ten bucks that they belong to Jacob and Bella."

"No way! Bella can't even walk in a straight line." Maisie did _not_ know how to drive Jasper's motorcycle on her own. She had told him several times that she had no desire to learn to ride alone, insisting instead that she was perfectly happy being a passenger.

"You're going to owe me ten bucks for sure with that mindset." Jasper rested his hand on the small of Maisie's back, guiding her into the front door of Mike Newton's house. He would like to think that he wasn't typically the overbearing type—Maisie had shown him, time and again, that she was capable of looking after and defending herself.

 _Shooting a vampire._

 _Fighting a newborn._

 _Making a true friendship and alliance not only with a coven of vampires but a pack of shapeshifters._

If any human had a fighting chance of surviving being thrust into the world of the supernatural, it was Maisie Thompson.

This gathering, though. At one point in his life, a party not entirely unlike this one was something that Jasper taught the newborns he trained to look for. With this many humans in one place, with music blaring and alcohol making its rounds, it was all to easy to pluck one or two away from the others without anyone noticing.

And if Maisie and Gunner's recent run-in with a newborn told Jasper anything, it was that Maria was apparently hard at work making a consumable back-up army so that she didn't lose any of the numbers in her true forces in the South.

Maisie leading him through the house in search of her friends reaffirmed to Jasper that the progress Carlisle thought he had made was false. Since he no longer went to Forks High every day, he had lost the 'nose-blindness' he had previously built up. Here, in this crowded, dark house with the pulsing music was igniting a wildfire in his throat.

His reaction must have been strong enough for Maisie to pick up on it; she altered her course, pulling him behind her out the back door. They were alone in the backyard, their only company each other and the cold winter air.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jasper took a deep, cleansing breath of thin, icy air before answering.

"I forgot how humans other than you smell, apparently," he whispered to her. Jasper pulled her close, inhaling the scent of her hair. As always, Maisie's mild floral scent was able to right him.

"Hey, love birds!" Jessica Stanley's voice called out above them. Jasper and Maisie tipped their heads back at the same time, to see Jessica leaning a tad too far out of a second story window. "You do know you're at a party with other people, right?"

Someone's hands—Mike's—closed around Jessica's hips, moving her away from the window. She giggled as he shifted her, the alcohol she was drinking sloshing out of the cup and the window. Jasper scooted Maisie out of the way of the falling liquid.

"You look pretty occupied yourself!" Maisie called back to her friend, just before Mike shut his window. Jasper guessed that was his bedroom.

Laughing, Maisie turned back to him. "We don't have to stay if it's too much for you, you know."

"You were excited about this," Jasper argued. "I'll be fine, so long as I stay near you."

"Well, I won't argue about that."

Alice had already looked into the future and reassured him that nothing out of the ordinary was going to happen at the house party. Though Jasper had been trusting in his sister's visions wholeheartedly for decades now, he still couldn't shake the feeling that he should be there with Maisie that night.

And not twenty minutes later, a drunken Gunner gave purpose to Jasper's intuition.

"The bad thing about all this," Maisie had been telling Jasper, nursing a cup of soda. She didn't drink, and obviously neither did he. "Is that I have to pretend to drink for both of us."

Gunner, though, had been drinking. He got to the party before Maisie and Jasper, and she had been watching her brother closely as he moved through the house with a constantly refilled cup in his hand.

Jasper watched the younger Thompson sibling make his way through the crowd, following an arrow straight path toward his sister.

"Hey," he slurred. Jasper realized Gunner had grown recently; he must have been nearly as tall as Edward. Gunner angled himself so that he was between Jasper and his sister. The alcohol practically rolled off him, in both his blood and his breath. "I needa talk to you."

Alcohol wasn't the only thing roiling under Gunner's skin. Waves of anger and betrayal were crashing through him. Maisie knew her brother well enough to read his mood. Her face crumpled in on itself.

"What's wrong?" She asked, her voice low underneath the music. "Why are you upset?"

"Where are your keys?" Jasper interjected. If they were going to have some kind of argument, it should be private, he thought. Gunner turned his head, sending a glare over his shoulder. Before Gunner could say anything, Maisie grabbed his arm.

"Give them to me." Her tone was soft, gentle. The same she used with Ava, when their little sister was on the verge of throwing a fit. Gunner fished his keys out of his pocket and placed them in Maisie's open palm immediately.

With her free hand, Maisie took her brother's. She looked over his shoulder, mouthing to Jasper a pair of names, _Bella and Jacob._ Her expression let him know it was meant to be a question.

Jasper nodded at Maisie. "I'll find out."

He watched her lead Gunner back through the crowd, waiting for the dull thud of Gunner's car doors. Then he turned toward the see of people, forcing himself to focus on Jacob's scent. Jasper hoped it would be enough to drown out the blood of all the humans in the warm, crowded house.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you are all having wonderful weeks! I promise you won't have to wait long for the next chapter. I broke it here because it would have been really long other wise, and I also switched back into Maisie's first-person perspective for this next part. Kate's here now!

I planned from the beginning to have the Denali Coven eventually break. Kate has joined sides with the Cullens; we already know Irina is working with Maria. Tanya is attempting to stay neutral. We'll see what Carmen and Eleazar decide to do. I haven't quite decided yet. But I wanted Kate to come to Forks because I'm as much Kate and Garrett trash as anyone...

Anyway, I hope you have been enjoying! This next chapter has _a lot_ going on, so prepare yourselves!


	49. Chapter Forty-Eight

_**-Chapter Forty-Eight-**_

* * *

"What's going on with you?" I snapped at Gunner as soon as we were alone in his car. He rolled his bloodshot hazel eyes toward me, slowly. How much had he drank?

"What's going on with _you_?" He turned the question back at me. "I didn't know my sister had a hobby of lying to me."

I felt the blood chill in my veins. "What are you talking about?"

Gunner clumsily reached a finger out, tracing the scars on my cheek. "I know someone hurt you. Still hurting you."

"Who told you?" I asked him, closing my hand over his. I gave it a squeeze, making him pay attention to me when his head lolled back against the seat. "Who?"

Bella Swan's name came out of my brother's mouth in such a slurred, garbled way that I nearly didn't understand him. I had to turn it over in my head several times before it became clear to me.

"Gunner," I said slowly, carefully. I felt myself getting angry, so I let go of Gunner's hand, afraid I would- accidentally hurt him. "What did Bella tell you?"

"Maisie, I think I'm gonna puke," Gunner said instead. I leaned over him, opening the door for him and guiding him forward. He did throw up, and I hoped all of it landed on Mike's lawn and not on Gunner's car.

When he turned back to me, his face was sallow under the bright shade of his red hair. I sighed. "Stay here. I'll go get you some water."

"No," Gunner slurred, hand shooting out to grab my wrist. "You stay."

He was not looking at me. Instead, Gunner's gaze was above my head. I looked over my shoulder to see Jasper and Jacob not far off. The night shrouded them in shadows, but I could still see from their tense posture that they must have been arguing.

"He's different, isn't he? All the Cullens are? They…don't kill…right?" The alcohol was making Gunner free with his words.

"No. They don't." I thought I might cry. Scratch that; I was crying. I felt the hot tears running down my cheeks, dropping from my chin to plop onto my jeans.

Sure, I had briefly entertained the idea of Gunner and Leah. But I didn't want this for my brother. I didn't want him in this world, where there was a looming danger that visited me nightly in my dreams.

"Good. 'Cause I always liked Jasper and I didn't wanna have to hate him." Gunner slurred out. "But the other one, the one that hurt you. She kills people?"

 _Yeah_ , I thought. _Maria kills people as sure as I'm going to kill Bella._

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. It did nothing to quell the wildfire of anger I felt within myself.

"Yeah," I told Gunner. "She does."

This time when I made a move toward the door, Gunner didn't stop me. Somehow, I managed to shut the car door with a soft click. I was surprised I walked across the snowy ground instead of running to where Bella stood tucked under Jacob's arm.

"Maisie," Jasper cautioned. He could feel my anger, I knew, but he did nothing to try to temper it. I spared a look at him over my shoulder. There was a warning there, in the dark gold of his eyes.

"Jasper," I mimicked back at him without meaning to. He wasn't who I was mad at. There was no reason for me to be snippy at him, but I couldn't help myself.

 _Do not hit her,_ I told myself at first. I was too angry. I had no idea of knowing what damage I would do. Just a handful of weeks ago, I had managed to cave in the chest of a newborn vampire. Not that it had done my any good, but still.

Then I saw the smug look on Bella's face. I felt something give inside me, causing my thoughts to alter instantly. _Do not hit her hard._

Jasper's hand just barely missed catching my fist in time. Maybe I was too fast, or maybe Jacob wasn't expecting me to act, because he made no moves to block me.

I punched Bella in the face. The eye, to be exact. I tried to do it softly. Given that her eye stayed in the socket and there was no crack of bones, I guess I succeeded. She only stayed upright, I was certain, because of Jacob's arm around her.

"What the hell?!" Jacob exploded. His reaction was instant. He pushed me away from him and Bella, hard enough that my feet actually left the ground. My back collided with Jasper's chest, knocking the air out of me, making my ears ring.

Vaguely, I felt Jasper's arm encircle my waist. Heard his snarl over the ringing in my ears. "I'll only tell you once not to touch her again, dog."

I turned my head sidelong, checking on Gunner. Taking a gulp of air, I found enough breath to speak. "You had no right. He's _my_ brother. _Mine._ "

I glared at Jacob. He was still watching my face, though Bella had turned hers to sob into his shirt. I watched his expression, which was flicking between anger and hatred and something faltering.

"You know she's not wrong." Leah's voice. When had Leah gotten here? I had been so focused on Jacob and on Gunner that I didn't realize we weren't alone anymore. From somewhere behind us, I heard Edward mutter a _dammit, Maisie._ He must have been listening in on Jacob's thoughts.

I didn't care, though. I would do it again. I would hurt Bella worse, if I could, I was sure, for what she had done.

"Don't 'dammit, Maisie' me," I grumbled in Edward's general direction. I disentangled myself from Jasper's arm, crunching my way over the snow back toward my brother. I didn't realize, at first, that Leah had fallen in line beside me.

"I hate her." She enthused as we walked. "We tell Jacob all the time that she's a liability. Do you think he listens to us? Hell no."

It didn't click, at first. The pieces didn't fit themselves together in my head until I reached for the handle on the car door. But then, my hand stilled, and I tipped my head back.

"Leah…?" I ventured, not even putting a name to my suspicion. The blush bloomed like roses in her cheeks and she averted her gaze.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, help me with him, at least. Dumbass took the driver's seat and he obviously can't drive right now. Watch out, he puked over there."

Between the two of us, we managed to help Gunner around the car and into the passenger seat. He let his head loll against the window, and I flinched when I saw him smack his stitches against the glass. They were supposed to come out tomorrow. I hoped they lasted the rest of the night.

"Did she tell him that part?" I asked Leah.

"I don't think so. I think her goal here was just to pull one over on you. She's been furious since Jacob told her the truth that you never gave in to telling her when she probed."

"She's such a fucking idiot." I couldn't stop myself from swearing. Leah only laughed, her breath forming gauzy clouds in front of her mouth.

"You can say that again."

"Are you going with us?" I directed it at Leah, but looked over at Jasper as I said it, too. It was a question for both of them. "I'm not staying here. Neither is Gunner."

I was still angry. With some distance, I saw that it was only Emmett and Edward who had come. Though Edward still wore a reproachful look, Emmett smiled and gave me a thumbs up. Jasper turned quickly to his brothers, tilting his head in the general direction of home. Emmett's smile slipped from his face. Unfortunately for him, there would be no further fighting tonight.

"Jake's gonna get it from Sam," Leah told me. "As much as I would love to see that, I'll go with you."

She slid into the passenger seat directly behind Gunner. I waited for Jasper, watching him stride toward me.

"I'm sorry," I told him. I felt like crying all over again. For some reason, I expected Jasper to be mad at me.

To my relief and surprise, he cupped my face in his hands and kissed my mouth. "I don't blame you. Do you want me to drive?"

"No, that's okay." I still had Gunner's keys in my hand. I had held onto them when I punched Bella. Uncurling my hand, I saw that my skin wore the imprint of them. "I want to be up there with him."

We could have put him in the back seat, I suppose. But Gunner had already fallen asleep, and I didn't want to move him again. Jasper opened the car door for me and softly shut it as I started the engine.

"Oh, Jasper, your motorcycle." The roar of Jacob and Bella's own motorcycles had reminded me. They were leaving, too. From the backseat, I heard both Jasper and Leah laugh.

"I'll come back for it," Jasper reassured me.

My parents were at a New Year's party themselves. One of dad's colleagues was throwing one, and given the hour, I suspected Ava was long asleep with all the other. It wasn't _quite_ midnight. The most important thing, though, was that no one was home.

"I've got him." Jasper slid Gunner from the front passenger seat. He lifted his unconscious weight effortlessly, as if my brother weighed nothing at all. I shook my head at Gunner, unlocking the front door and quickly punching in the alarm code before it could go off.

"Will you take him to his room?" I asked. Jasper mounted the stairs and climbed them so slowly, careful not to jostle Gunner whatsoever. I sighed after they disappeared into Gunner's bedroom and ran my hands through my hair. "This is a mess."

"That's Bella for you." I motioned vaguely toward the couch, inviting Leah to sit. As I was a wonderfully nice sister, I got water and Tylenol from the kitchen to take to Gunner.

Jasper met me on the stairs. I couldn't conjure any words, but he took a moment to pause. My hands were full, so Jasper settled on giving my arm a soft, reassuring squeeze.

"We will fix it," he whispered to me.

Gunner lay comfortably on his side. Bless Jasper for knowing not to lay him on his back. He had even taken off Gunner's shoes and pulled his trashcan close to the bed. I ran my hands through my hair again.

I was so frustrated that I couldn't even put it into words. Frustrated with the fact that Gunner was asleep, so I couldn't talk to him. Frustrated that the only information he had to go off came from _Bella_.

Not to mention I was still _seething_ over Bella's role in this whole thing. Maybe Rosalie had been right about something being done about the idiot a long time ago. I left the water and medicine next to Gunner's bed for him before heading back downstairs.

Leah was explaining things to Jasper, each of them sitting on one end of the couch. I had always considered the two of them to be on good terms, but obviously the discord that ran between vampires and werewolves ran pretty deep.

"She's the worst kind of wildcard." Considering the ample amount of space left on the couch, I made myself comfortable between the two of them. I had room to stretch out my legs, laying back against Jasper's chest.

"Agreed. For all of her academic intelligence, the girl seems to lack self-preservation and the ability to think ahead. And here I thought Maisie was impulsive." I rolled my eyes at his teasing, even if he couldn't see me.

"At least when I do something rash and stupid, it eventually works out in the end," I defended myself. "If it weren't for some kind of divine intervention, Bella would have been taken out by natural selection forever ago."

* * *

Gunner slept through the night. I didn't sleep much at all. Jasper spent the night with me, and we talked strategy all through the night.

 _"It would be safer for him if you only told him what you have to,"_ Jasper had cautioned me. _"Leah will fill in the rest, in time, I'm sure."_

Yeah. Because Leah had imprinted on my brother. Which, technically, was a great thing and something I had asked for. Yet, at the same time, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. On the one hand, I was really happy because I knew that Gunner would be loved and protected in this new world Bella had ungraciously thrown him into.

On the other hand, I still wasn't sure how the whole imprinting thing worked. I didn't want Gunner to be forced into something, to have his free will taken from him. Leah had soothed some of my concerns by telling me that she saw no reason to bring it up with him any time soon.

 _"He's got enough occupying his mind right now."_

My bedroom and Gunner's bedroom shared a wall. The walls in our house weren't exactly thin, so I sat with my back against our shared wall like a creep so I could listen for any signs that Gunner was awake.

I was rewarded at nearly noon, when I heard signs of life in the form of the most unenthusiastic groan I had ever heard in my life. It was enough for me to leave my room in favor of Gunner's.

"I see you have survived to witness a new year." I wasn't even speaking loud, but Gunner touched a hand to his forehead anyway.

"Whisper voices," he croaked out, which is something our mom would tell Ava when she got too excited.

"There's water next to your bed. And Tylenol, because I'm a great sister. I even drove your car home."

Gunner popped two pills in his mouth and washed them down with three big gulps of water. "Sister of the year."

I waited for consciousness to fully come to him. He scratched his head, making his hair stand up on end. When he rubbed his eyes, he was careful not to disturb his stitches. He scrubbed at his face with his hands and then finally, his tired eyes found mine.

"So, are you gonna tell me what Bella was going on about last night?"

He explained to me what Bella told him. How she made the claim that the Quileute tribe were werewolves and the Cullens were vampires. How he hadn't believed her and thought she was just drunk, but she had dragged him outside into the trees behind Mike's house and made Jacob show him.

How seeing Jacob shapeshift had scared him, and how he had drank more than his fair share of the bottle of vodka one of the other junior boys had brought. That's how I had come to find him nearly drunk off his feet not long after.

"Well," I told Gunner, taking a seat on the bed beside him. "Do you believe Bella?"

"I watched Jacob Black turn into a fucking wolf, so, yeah, I believe her about that. But the Cullens?"

I shrugged. I couldn't deny it from him, not really. "What color are Jasper's eyes?"

He was confused enough by the question that he glared at me.

"No, really. I'm making a point. Tell me what color his eyes are."

"I don't know, like a weird amber-brownish color. Kind of gold looking."

"And," I was picking my words, trying to get him to where I wanted him to be without having to tell him outright, "what color eyes did that guy we almost hit have?"

"Red." Gunner answered instantly. "So, they _aren't_ vampires?"

I bit my lip. I didn't know how to make Gunner understand when his thought processes were subdued thanks to his hangover.

"Not in the traditional sense," I finally gave in. "They don't hunt humans. They survive off animal blood instead."

"But Dr. Cullen…" Gunner started. He let his sentence fall off when his bedroom door opened, revealing our mom.

"Good, you two are awake." From her rumpled hair and puffy eyes, it wasn't hard for me to guess that my mom was also hungover. "Gunner, honey, your appointments at two."

Mom tapped her own forehead in the spot that mirrored where Gunner's were.

"I remember." If Mom noticed anything off about Gunner, she didn't comment. "Maisie can go with me, right?"

The relief was obvious on her face. "If she doesn't mind. Thank you, Maisie."

"Just pay attention to his eyes," I whispered to Gunner once Mom left. "Or Rosalie's, or Emmett's, or Edward's, or Alice's, or Esme's. They're different, I promise you that."

I knew that before I could explain to Gunner about Maria, he needed to understand that neither Jasper nor his family would ever hurt him.

"You know, if you just didn't talk to Bella, all of this would be fine right now. I think it's in the sibling code not to talk to people your sibling hates."

"Yeah, well, you talk to Lauren every day, so that doesn't really count, does it?"

The fact that Gunner could still argue with me as I drove us to Forks General seemed like a good omen to me. Perhaps things would work out better than I was anticipating.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, I didn't realize I needed this in my life until I read silentmayhem's review on Ch. 46 but...I really freaking want Gunner and Leah to be together. So it's happening. Thank you, silentmayhem, for sparking that epiphany in my mind. Judging by some other reviews left, I think we're all going to be excited about this!

I'm so excited to explore this further! It changes some of the subplots I originally had in mind, but in a great way, I think.


	50. Chapter Forty-Nine

_**-Chapter Forty-Nine-**_

* * *

Sometimes I didn't listen to Jasper as well as I probably should have. After Carlisle took Gunner's stitches out, I took him to the pier on he driftwood beach. We had collected rocks along the way, to toss on the winter waves.

"As me whatever you want to know." Gunner threw a rock, managing to skip it three times over the water.

"The beginning," he decided. "What happened in New Mexico?"

I took a deep breath. With Maria's recent visit and the run-in with the newborn, I knew sitting out here in the open technically put as at a disadvantage. I also knew, though, that I was made strong by Maria's venom; that Alice could see us clearly in her visions with no werewolves around; that Gunner now had the protection of the pack, though he didn't know it, because he was Leah's imprint.

All of these factors made me confident enough to discuss these things in the open with Gunner. It felt fitting, anyway, to let my brother into my secrets in the same place I laid myself bare to Jasper.

I recanted the story, the true story, to Gunner. "They call it a mark, this longer scar. It's used as a way to show that a human has been chosen by a vampire, in the communities who use the practice."

"Maria," Gunner said softly. "She left the other scar, too?"

"She left both of mine," I confirmed. "And quite a few of Jasper's."

"What do you mean?" This, of course, warranted an explanation of Jasper's history with Maria. I caught him up to speed, explaining how Maria had turned Jasper long before she ever had a mind—or the opportunity, since I wasn't born until much later—to give me a mark.

"I mean, when I found out about vampires and everything, I started dating one. You went on a bender. I don't know which is the better reaction."

"It's not, like, a kink, is it? Your being with Jasper? I mean, you're not with him just because of it?"

I nearly pushed my brother off the pier and into the waves below. "No! I had feelings for Jasper before I ever found out!"

"Well, it's not a kink for him, either, then? Shacking up with human girls?"

"Far from. The Cullens typically keep their distance for a reason. It's not easy to be around humans, even with their animal blood diet. Carlisle is the only one with the level of restraint he has."

"Where do the others fall on that spectrum?" I bit my lip. It was a fair question.

"Rosalie would be close behind Carlisle. Then Esme, I think. Alice and Emmett are about on the same level. Edward." I paused here. There was a name missing. I didn't want to place Jasper's name at the bottom of the list, even if it were true.

"Jasper." Gunner filled in for me. "Because of his time in the armies, with this Maria? It was what he was used to?"

"It's a very hard habit to shake," I conceded. "But he has his ways of coping."

I thought of Jasper's habit of tugging at his sleeves or rubbing his nose. Sometimes, when the other two hadn't worked, I had seen him curl his thumb inside his fist and squeeze tightly. And, of course, there was the old fallback of simply not breathing.

"I'm biased, but I think Jasper is all the more admirable for his abstinence from human blood because of where he came from."

"How does he keep from hurting you? Don't tell me it's some kind of cheesy 'power of love' bullshit." I laughed, not only because of Gunner's wording, but because he was in for a rude awakening when he learned about imprinting.

"No. It's because, thanks to Maria, I carry some vampire venom in my blood. Not enough to hurt me, but enough that it changes the way I smell to vampires. See, every human has their own smell. Some smell more appetizing than others—like, healthier people smell better than people carrying a disease in their blood. Because of the venom, my human smell is dampened, making it easier for Jasper to be around me."

Gunner turned to me. When he raised his eyebrows, I noticed one still stayed down, so used to the stitches he must have been. "But you're…"

"Human," I told him quickly. "Still human. Carlisle has a friend—his name is Garrett, you would like him. He has red eyes," I didn't bother reminding him what that meant, " _but_ he's not dangerous. He's seen other vampires, in the past, purposefully give humans small doses of venom for money. It doesn't change the humans into vampires, because it's not enough venom to overtake the blood entirely."

"Dr. Cullen has a friend with red eyes?"

"Most vampires have red eyes. That doesn't necessarily mean they are terrible people… I mean, Garrett is safe. He has control. Maria, obviously, has control if she's able to leave marks on humans. It's a complicated thing, but drinking human blood and being a monster are, surprisingly, not mutually exclusive. There's a lot of gray areas in the world of vampires."

My brother nodded slowly beside me, considering everything I had told him. Aside from his binge drinking the night before, he was taking all of this so well. Almost too well.

"Why aren't you freaking out? Are you in shock or something?"

He took his time answering. "Um, no. I don't know. No offense, but you've always been kind of freaky. I mean, you always believed in weird stuff. Ghosts and aliens and all that. I don't know, I guess I just know you wouldn't lie about all of this. But…why were you keeping it a secret, anyway? Since the Cullens are peaceful?"

I knew he meant, _why were you hiding it from me?_ I sighed.

"Okay, think about it. If you and me and Ava and Mom and Dad all drank blood to survive, do you think we would want it to be common knowledge? That would destroy Dad's credibility as a therapist, wouldn't it? Mom wouldn't be allowed to work with kids. All of us would be ostracized in school, if we were even allowed to go…"

"Alright, I get it. But why do they bother going to school? They are immortal, aren't they?"

We were almost out of rocks by this time in our conversation. I picked up the last five we had, giving Gunner three and keeping two for myself.

"Well," I began, "Jasper will not be very pleased I'm sharing this with you, but oh well. Think about the Cold Ones legend we've heard at La Push."

I felt Gunner stiffen beside me. I turned to look at him, waiting. "Tell me about them."

"They came from the ocean, right? In the legend, I mean. They came out of the ocean, and the had black eyes, and their skin…"

"And their skin glittered in the sunlight," I finished for him. "Kind of hard to pass for human when that's happening, right? So the Cullens—and any other vampires who wish to blend in with human populations—have to have a way to walk in the daylight without exposing themselves. There aren't a whole lot of places like Forks in the world, where there isn't often sunlight."

I threw a rock, but I put too much force behind it. Mine sunk while Gunner's skidded over the waves.

"Carlisle has said it was easier, before the world was so populated, to move around. Now, with travel and so many people on the Earth, it's a little harder. So they try to stay in one spot for as long as possible before moving. The easiest way to do that is to have Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, and Alice attend high school. It buys them about four to six years in one spot, usually."

Gunner turned this over in his head, shrugging after a moment. "It makes sense. But it must suck, having to go to high school all the time. How old are they, anyway?"

"Do you mean their human ages or their ages all together?"

He shrugged again. "Both, I guess."

"It's kind of confusing," I told him. "Because in order of human years, they would go Esme at twenty-six, Carlisle at twenty-three, Emmett at twenty, Jasper and Alice are nineteen, Rosalie is eighteen, and Edward is seventeen."

I watched my brother's face crumple in confusion. "But if you're talking in terms of their entire lives, the order would go Carlisle, Jasper, Edward, Alice, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett."

"I feel like I need another drink."

"I know it's a lot."

"Okay, let me see if I have it straight. So, Maria gave you the mark or whatever when we were ten and lived in New Mexico. She's back now. And she's doing all of this just because you're with Jasper?"

"Well…" and then I had to explain James, and my role in it, and his comrades Victoria and Laurent. I described Emmett and Rosalie's wedding, Laurent's death, Irena's ire. This brought us full circle to where we were now. " _I_ think Jasper does play a role in it, though. In terms of Maria's decision to do this. I think she's still upset he left the army at all."

"Maisie, are you, like, cursed or something? I mean, what are the odds that you would meet a vampire in New Mexico, we would move to Forks, the Cullens would also move to Forks, Jasper used to be involved with the vampire you met in New Mexico, now you're with Jasper…I mean, what kind of coincidence or fate or whatever!"

"How do you think I feel?!" I countered. "I've been trying to make sense of it for over a year, and I still haven't managed to!"

"That's why he gave you the ring, isn't it? I mean, y'all are obviously connected by all of this." I hadn't considered that. I glanced down at my hand, where the ring was hidden underneath my glove.

"Kind of. I guess that might have been one of the reasons. It's a promise ring in a literal sense, though. Not like a promise of marriage, but a promise to see this through…whatever happens."

This was already so much to take in. I hadn't bothered to explain Alice's clairvoyance, Edward's telepathy, or Jasper's empathy. I would save that for another day. Gunner rubbed at his tired eyes, and I could hear his stomach growl beside me.

"Can we go get food?" He asked, making me laugh. I could hug him.

I did hug him. I nearly knocked us both over, because Gunner wasn't expecting it, and his balance wasn't great in his hungover state. We stayed upright, somehow.

"Yeah, let's go get food."

* * *

Before I talked to Jasper or the others about what I had told Gunner, I talked to Leah. When we got home, Gunner went back to bed for a nap. I called Leah in my room, talking to her in low voices.

"I only explained the vampire part of things to him," I told Leah. "And not a whole lot. I'm trying to ease him into it…I'm a lot less showy than Jacob is."

Leah laughed a hard, humorless laugh. "Yeah, Sam is _pissed_. I think this is the first time we've agreed on anything in a long time."

"Why did he do it? Surely, he knows better. Y'all have rules, too. Guidelines, just like Carlisle keeps."

"It's Bella. She's not his imprint—it doesn't happen to all of us. I'm kind of jealous, honestly. Not that your brother isn't cool; it just makes it complicated when you _know_ , and they don't. But Bella _hates_ that she isn't Jacob's imprint. He feels like he has to do more, prove more for her, to make up for the fact. So, when she asked him to phase to prove a point to Gunner…"

I rolled my eyes, even though she couldn't see it.

"Sam didn't take it well. There was a fight. He really did a number on Jake, much more than you got in on Bella. They even argued over alpha rights."

"Didn't Jacob forfeit those?"

Leah laughed again, "Yeah. Hindsight, huh? Right now, Jake's barely got a leg to stand on—metaphorically and literally. He's gonna be down for a few days, I think."

 _Serves him right for being an idiot_ , I thought. While I was thinking, Leah's voice turned softer with her next question. "How is Gunner?"

"He's okay. Carlisle took his stitches out this morning; he's got a nice little scar now. At the moment, he's sleeping off his hangover."

"I'm glad he's okay. He didn't look great last night."

"Alcohol and sudden supernatural knowledge will do that to you."

"Yeah," Leah agreed. "I guess it would."

She sounded a little remorseful, and I understood why. Jasper had told me that he felt a 'grieving' period of sorts, after he introduced me to his world. Now I understood what he meant.

* * *

In the excitement of the night before, I had forgotten that Kate was staying with the Cullens. That is, until Jasper picked me up later that afternoon and Kate opened the door for us before Jasper had even helped me off his motorcycle.

"Kate!" I shouted, whipping off my helmet and pressing it into Jasper's hands. I ran across the snowy yard to the porch, where Kate hugged me.

"Maisie!" She mimicked me. "I hear your adventures haven't slowed down one bit."

"I'm nothing if not exciting," I told her. Jasper joined us in the doorway, ushering both of us in. With the sun starting to set, the outside was quickly losing degrees. He was concerned, I was sure, with my getting too cold.

"I also heard about your night. What are the chances, you in love with a vampire and your brother imprinted upon by one of those dogs?" Kate's wording made me blush wildly, but she only smiled.

"Speaking of Gunner, is he staying hydrated?" Carlisle asked. He was helping Rosalie take down the Christmas decorations. She was replacing them with reds, pinks, and silvers along with roses. Obviously, Rosalie had already moved on to Valentine's day.

"I made him drink a whole glass of water before he went back to bed," I reassured him. Our parents weren't upset with Gunner for drinking. They had told us, beforehand, that they didn't mind—on New Year's only—as long as we were safe. _We remember high school parties,_ they had said.

That being said, I would be lying if I didn't say I wasn't aware I definitely had some brownie points from our parents for not getting trashed last night.

Rosalie walked by me, pressing a vase of pink and white roses into my hands.

"For your bedroom," she explained. I was a little shocked by her open display of… kindness? Rosalie quickly moved on from it. "Emmett told me you punched Bella Swan. I would have done more."

"I _wanted_ to do more," I told her, and she nodded, a smirk on her red-painted lips.

Through the tall windows on the back half of the house, I could see Emmett, Edward, Peter, and Garrett outside in the snow. They seemed to be having some kind of competition that involved chopping wood with their bare hands. Charlotte was outside, too; she held a stopwatch in her gloved hand.

"I'm thankful you didn't," Carlisle said. "Have you spoken to Leah? I would like to have a word with Sam."

He motioned toward the coffee table. There, I saw a thick envelope, not unlike the one I took to Sam previously. His name was printed their again in Carlisle's hand. I set the vase Rosalie had given me next to it, so I wouldn't forget. "I'll make sure he gets it. Somehow, since I still don't have a car."

"I told Jasper not to let you take it to a mechanic. _I_ would have had it done in a day."

Alice flounced her way into the room from the kitchen, with Esme close behind her. "Taste this for me. Is it right? Esme's doing trials for treats to send to work with Carlisle for Valentine's."

It was a month away, but obviously Rosalie had put everyone in the mood. Alice held out a chocolate covered strawberry to me. I didn't think those would be easy to do wrong. Then again, none of the people who lived or were staying in the house had typical taste buds.

I took a bite, the sweetness filling my mouth. There was a tartness, too, that I couldn't quite place. "Alice! Are these alcoholic?"

"I thought it was okay to use alcohol in cooking?"

"Only if the alcohol is cooked _out_! These will definitely get people drunk."

"Oops," Alice giggled. "Good thing we gave you one first, huh?"

So much for me not having any alcohol for New Year's.

"You know," Jasper mused, twirling pieces of my hair around his fingers. "It's too bad you don't know how to ride the motorcycle on your own. That would give you another option while your car is being repaired. I do get pulled over a lot though…Chief Swan isn't a big fan of them, it seems."

I turned to Jasper to find his eyes twinkling mischievously. Slowly, a smile spread over my face. I knew Jasper was only teasing me, but…

 _That_ thought, I had to silence before Edward caught on. No doubt, he would have been upset. Instead, I leaned back against Jasper.

"It would definitely beat walking all the way to La Push. Maybe I'll get Gunner to take me. After all, that is where his girlfriend-to-be lives."

* * *

 **A/N:** I don't know if I'm an obvious writer _or_ y'all are just getting really good at reading Maisie's character traits! Several of you guessed that Maisie might brew her own kind of revenge for Bella, aside from that solid right hook she landed. I already had this planned, but I thought it was so funny some of y'all had the same thoughts!

Don't worry, Carlisle is mad about this new situation. Expect some arguing between Carlisle and Sam in the near future.

I'm really trying to use my winter break, so I can put out as many chapters as I can before I get busy again and updates slow down! Like I said, though I love the idea of Gunner and Leah, it is changing some things ;)


	51. Chapter Fifty

**_-Chapter Fifty-_**

* * *

When we returned to school, Bella relayed a lunchtime story about helping her dad hang new curtains and 'just being clumsy' to explain away her black eye. She wasn't half so cocky when she didn't have Jacob wasn't around.

"You should really be more careful," I remarked, unable to stop the words from tumbling out of my mouth. I could feel Edward's disapproving stare even across the cafeteria, but I already started. "Shame to mess up that pretty face."

She glared at me while I ate my blueberries, but I only shrugged. Sometimes I was cocky, too. I was more than confident that she wouldn't be able to dump anything else on Gunner. He was keeping resolutely to himself and his friends.

Our mutual friends' attention was split between Bella's shiner and my ring from Jasper. Unlike when I kissed Jasper for the first time, I hadn't texted Jess about the ring. It was a dainty little thing shining on my right hand, but the connotations surrounding the ring felt heavy to me.

"Maisie's out here getting herself practically engaged over break," Jess proclaimed, pulling my hand into the middle of the table. I felt myself start blushing immediately.

"That's my right hand," I pointed out, but nobody was listening to me at that point. Instead, they were fixated on my ring, which glittered even in the fluorescent cafeteria lights.

"Dammit, Hale," I heard Tyler mumble to Mike. Jasper wasn't even there for Ty to curse, of course. "Now all the girls are going to start getting ideas."

Lauren pulled my hand up to her face, her eyes nearly crossing as she inspected the ring up close. I let her twist it around on my finger, so she could see the rose gold band. I guess Lauren approved; she sniffed daintily and nodded her head, as if she were a fine jewelry connoisseur.

I felt Bella's eyes on me the entire time.

As fate should have it, my petty revenge was delivered at the auto shop. They say that revenge is a dish best served cold. In the case of myself and Bella, it was actually a dish best served in front of Charlie Swan. There were a lot of parallels there.

I was with my dad. She was with hers. I was getting my entire car back; she was picking up some kind of part for her ancient truck.

"You're sure Jake knows what to do with this thing?" Charlie had asked. They were ahead of us in line. Charlie was turning some part around in his hands, clearly baffled with it.

"I'm sure, Dad." Bella was a little snappy.

While we waited in line, my dad greeted Charlie. Feigning interest, I leaned forward to look at the part in Charlie's hands.

"Oh," I said innocently. "I didn't know that they sold singular parts here. Do you and Jacob ever get parts here for y'all's motorcycles? Jasper has to order them when he needs one."

"Jasper's," I hated the twist of Bella's lips when she said his name, "is a lot different than Jake's."

"But what about yours? Or do you and Jacob have the same kind of motorcycle? It's all Greek to me, I don't understand them!"

I knew what I was doing. The satisfaction of Charlie Swan turning to Bella, realization dawning on his face, was _glorious_ for me. I ate it up. Dad was probably going to be so mad at me, later, and I knew that, but it was worth it.

"Have you been riding with Jake, Bells?"

That was all the conversation that I got to witness, because the Swans were next in line. I was well-versed, however, in the kind of conversation that question preluded. Gunner and I had done our fair share of time-outs and, when we were older, groundings for our misbehaviors. Enough that we were vagabonds, basically, in Ava's eyes anyway.

"I didn't realize that Chief Swan had such an issue with motorcycles," Dad commented after he had looked over my car and deemed it safe for me to drive back to our house.

"Well, Jasper does get pulled over a lot when he rides his," I shrugged. As far as my parents knew, Jasper had only been allowed to drive the motorcycle through Forks after 'turning eighteen' and graduating from Forks High.

That technically wasn't a lie. Jasper did get pulled over often, though he never actually got caught speeding or anything.

"Sounds like you might have gotten the girl in trouble." Dad opened my car door for me. After I buckled my seatbelt, I realized he wanted me to answer him.

"I didn't mean to. It was just a question." The look Dad gave me let me know he didn't quite believe me. But in the end, he must have decided it wasn't worth the fight. Despite the fact that he was giving me a scrutinizing look, Dad gave a shrug of his own and shut my car door.

I let out a sigh of relief, waiting for Dad to get into his own car so I could follow him home.

My timing had never been stellar. The same day I probably got Bella grounded and got my car back was the day Carlisle wanted me to give Sam his missive. Just like the first time, I only had a vague idea what the envelope held: a formal request for a meeting.

Gunner came with me, because I didn't want to go alone.

"Why wouldn't Jasper come with you?" Gunner asked. "Or one of the Cullens just take the note?"

"Remember the Cold Ones legend? Even though the Cullens are peaceful, there's always been tension between them and the Quileute. They have a treaty. Part of that treaty involves respecting the Quileute land—the Cullens can't step foot on it. Another part involves mutually keeping the others' true identity secret."

Looking over at Gunner, I could practically see the cogs turning in his head. He nodded after a beat, turning the envelope around in his hands.

"It's kind of one-sided, isn't it?"

"I'm biased toward Jasper, so I've always thought so. But I guess it makes sense. The vampires in the legend killed their ancestors. I can see why they wouldn't want vampires on their land, even now, even when they hunt animals rather than humans."

I was treading unsteady ground here. Knowing about Leah and the whole business of imprinting, I didn't want to make things hard for her or Gunner. His becoming biased entirely toward the Cullens, like I was, would only complicate things.

"I guess. Still seems like they get more out of it than the Cullens do. I never would have guessed anything was off about them if New Year's didn't happen." Here, my brother paled. He didn't like to talk about what he had heard or witnessed that night.

Edward had seen the memories in Gunner's mind, though. He had asked me first, if it would be alright to try to gather the information from my brother's thoughts. I gave Edward my and Gunner's permission without speaking to him about it; Gunner didn't know yet about any of the gifts some vampires had.

Apparently, this wasn't hard for Edward, because Gunner thought about it a lot in the days following.

From Edward, I knew that Gunner was already a little drunk when Bella pulled him outside. I knew he didn't believe Bella, that he had called her crazy, until she had grabbed his arm and started prattling on about my scars. That had given him pause, which gave Bella the opportunity to have Jacob phase in front of my brother.

 _"His fear was palpable, even in the memories."_

I didn't blame him. That was a major reason I wanted to bring Gunner with me. I needed him to see that, even though I had complained substantially to him, the other pack members were not as stupid as Jacob.

Besides La Push beach and River's Edge, the only other location I knew in La Push was Leah's house. Leah had already reassured me that she would have Sam at her house when we arrived.

"Here, text Leah for me and tell her we're almost there," I told Gunner, handing him my phone. He put Carlisle's note in his lap, his thumbs tapping across my phone's screen.

I pulled into the Clearwater's drive way. Leah's brother, Seth, was outside with another of the younger pack members, throwing a football back and forth. I hadn't seen him before. The pack was still growing, it seemed.

"Hey, Maisie!" Seth called out. "Leah's inside!"

I had always liked Seth.

"You can stay in the car if you want," I told Gunner. He was watching Seth and his friend toss the ball, focusing on the tattoos on their shoulders.

"Jacob Black has that tattoo. They all do?" He asked, finally turning his head toward me. I nodded.

"Okay. Werewolves have tattoos. Vampires who drink animal blood have gold eyes. Vampires who drink human blood have red eyes." I wasn't sure if he was telling me or himself more. Either way, he reached for the door handle, following me up the walkway to the porch.

"You're learning," I told him. He trailed slightly behind me as we walked, stopping a few feet away when I knocked on the door. Though it was the Clearwater house, Sam was the one to open the door.

"Maisie." He used my name in lieu of an actual greeting before his eyes flickered behind me.

"Sam. This is Gunner." I didn't think any other explanation was required. Sam nodded once, solemnly, before stepping back and opening the door wide enough for us to come inside. I peeked over my shoulder. Though Gunner's face was neutral, I could see his hands gripping the envelope. I was glad I had given it to him, so he could have something to hold onto.

I didn't blame Gunner for being intimidated. Sam was huge. Emmett still dwarfed him, but they had the same intimidating effect. Tall, muscular. But where Emmett was all dimpled smiles and messy curls, Sam was heavy furrowed brows and scowling lips.

"Hey," Gunner offered. His eyes didn't stray from Sam when I held my hand out to him for the envelope.

"I heard what happened," Sam told him. "With Bella and Jake. I'm sorry. That's…not how we usually handle things. I know it won't mean much, but I wanted you to know it's been taken care of on our side of things."

Gunner simply nodded. I wasn't surprised that he didn't say anything. My brother had never been one to forgive easily, honestly.

"This is yours," I told Sam when the quiet stretched on. "From Carlisle."

Sam turned the envelope over, I guess checking to see if it had been opened. The wax seal Carlisle had used was unbroken, though.

"I was waiting for something like this," he admitted. "I didn't think he would be too happy."

I shrugged. "Of course he's not."

Outside, one of the boys threw the football too hard. It ricocheted off the house—hard. The bang of the impact made Gunner jump beside me. Leah and I reached out to him at the same time, both of us lightly touching one of his arms.

"Sorry. My brother gets a little too into it sometimes," Leah apologized. Unlike when Sam apologized, here Gunner grinned appreciatively a little. I knew Leah was the one who had imprinted, but it was obvious that there was genuine attraction there for Gunner, too.

Sam opened the envelope, scanning over what Carlisle had written. He passed the note to Leah when he was done.

"Me, you, Jake…"

"Jared and Paul. No need to bring the whole pack, do you think?" Leah was asking Sam, but she cut her eyes my way, too.

"Emmett and Rosalie are back in New York," I offered. I knew numbers were what Sam was concerned about. "That leaves the Cullens at five, but they have four guests as well."

"Emmett's the big one?" Sam asked, waiting for my nod. "That still leaves the mind reader."

He, obviously, was not as cautious about all of this in front of Gunner as I was. I rolled my eyes, mostly to myself.

"Did he say _mind reader?_ " Gunner asked in a whisper, hitting me with his elbow. "They can read minds?"

"Only Edward," I whispered back to him.

"Maisie, what the hell?" When I looked up at him, his hazel eyes had gone wide. Sam and Leah were talking logistics, not paying attention to us.

"He'll explain, I promise."

But Gunner was shaking his head. Leah's authoritative tone drew out attention back to her and Sam.

"Seth and Collin, too, then?"

"Yeah, okay. Quil and Embry will be pissed, but they'll get over it." Those two, I knew, were Jacob's best friends. "Jared's gonna get jealous if he finds out you're out here making beta calls."

"He can get over it, too," Leah argued. "I'll walk you guys out."

Outside, the football was abandoned. I had no idea where Seth or his friend had gone. Leah used their absence to her advantage, though.

"Maisie," she scolded me. "You still haven't told him?"

"Edward reads minds, Alice sees the future, Jasper can manipulate emotions, and their cousin Kate, who's in town right now, can coat her skin in electricity." I said all of it in a rush. "It's a lot, okay? I was trying to ease him into it."

I wasn't sure why, but I felt tears pricking at my eyes. I tried to wipe them away before they could notice, but Gunner knew me better than that.

"It's okay," he said quickly, softly. "I get it. Much better approach than Jacob's, anyway."

Leah softened in tandem. "Fair point. I'll see you guys on Friday, I guess."

"Is that the day Carlisle picked?"

"Yeah, he even had a line in their about not wanting it to affect school." That definitely sounded like Carlisle. I knew he wanted Gunner and I present. Our next stop, though Gunner didn't realize yet, was the Cullen house.

I wanted to introduce him—or reintroduce, in some cases—before the meeting with the wolves, so he wouldn't be scared. I wanted him to at least have a chance at feeling comfortable. Even if it was far-fetched.

Alice opened the door before I could knock. If this surprised Gunner, he hid it well while Alice smiled up at him. "Esme made you cookies."

This did throw Gunner for a moment; I caught the shift in his expression with his eyebrows knitting together. Alice did, too. Her laugh was delicate, playful. "Don't look so shocked. I hear we were once human, too."

As always, Alice had no inhibitions. She reached out and grabbed Gunner's wrist, giving him momentum to walk into the house. He probably needed it. Gunner had spent a lot of time in his room since finding out the truth about everything. I wasn't sure he had even made eye contact with Jasper since, and he certainly didn't talk to Alice nor Edward at school. Even while Carlisle took his stitches out, he had kept his eyes downcast.

Esme's promised cookies were sitting on the coffee table in the living room. I could hear music somewhere upstairs—Edward's room, most likely. "Garrett and Peter are out playing. They'll be back in…six minutes."

"Where are Kate and Charlotte?" The unfamiliar names were throwing Gunner for another loop. I could see his lips moving, and I realized he was counting. Never mind that I had told Sam that there were nine benevolent vampires at the Cullen house. I guess he needed to count for himself.

"Here!" I heard Kate's voice drifting from upstairs. Her head poked out from Alice's bedroom, her blonde hair curled all around her face. In contrast, Charlotte's curls had been straightened. "We've been playing while Edward mopes and Jasper keeps him company."

Edward, moping. What a concept. He was prone to depressive bouts, I had come to learn. I blamed it on the time period he was originally raised in. I should have cut him a little slack; I knew he was feeling guilty about things. The only reason Irina even knew so much about the Maria situation was because Edward had shared it with Tanya, who in turn shared it with her sisters.

They bounced down the stairs together. "This is my brother, Gunner. He's knew to the vampire world. I wanted him to meet y'all."

I felt a warm, influx of calm. It was subtle, but I was used to Jasper's mood alterations. I doubted Gunner would recognize the feeling as anything other than his own genuine emotion. Kate smiled at him, her eyes giving him a quick up-and-down pass. Charlotte held her hand out immediately.

"I'm Charlotte." Her eyes were a tawny shade while they transitioned to gold. To my relief, Gunner easily took her hand. "My Peter's around somewhere. We're old friends of Jasper's."

"It's nice to meet you." My brother's manners were showing. He turned to Kate. "You're a cousin of the Cullens', right?"

When Kate nodded, her curls bounced around her face. I suppose her eyes gave her away to Gunner. "It's Kate. I think your sister is fabulous. Has she told you what I can do?"

"Um," I was sure Gunner had to wrack his brain, because I had only mentioned it once, earlier, when I was upset. "…Something with your skin?"

"Are you as brave as Maisie?"

Only now did Kate hold her hand out to him. Gunner glanced at me. I tilted my head toward Kate, indicating he should do shake her hand. Here, under the living room lights, the thin sheen of electricity was invisible, unlike it had been that night of the wedding. I knew it was there, though, and I could hear the faint buzzing of it.

Gunner had no hesitation. He took Kate's hand as solidly as he had done Charlotte's. This time, though, he sucked his breath in when his palm touched hers. "I can generate a much stronger current, _but_ it's not exactly conducive for humans. Your bodies don't handle electricity well, do they?"

Alice's predicted six minutes must have been up. Kate released Gunner's hand as Peter and Garrett came in from one of the sliding glass doors in the living room. Both of them were soaked from snow and mud. They had abandoned their shoes on the back porch, I was sure to save Esme's white carpets in the living room.

Edward and Jasper had made their way down the stairs, joining us as well. Jasper came to stand beside me, resting his hand on my back and pressing a kiss to my head.

"Showing off again, Katie?" Garrett asked with his usual ease, but the nickname surprised me. Apparently the two had become familiar during Kate's short time in Forks.

"That was so cool. She can do it whenever she wants?" Gunner whispered to me. He hadn't yet noticed Garrett's red eyes.

"Yeah. All the gifts are different, though. Alice can search the future if she wants, but sometimes she gets visions unbidden." I didn't comment on Edward and Jasper's abilities, knowing they would prefer to explain it themselves. My brother turned my words around in his head before nodding.

When Gunner did look up, getting a good look at Garrett and Peter, I leaned into Jasper. I was not entirely sure what his reaction would be. Alice was calm, though, which gave me some comfort.

Gunner took a half a step back when he realized Garrett's eyes were red. I wondered if the fact that they were a more muted shade—not the bright, almost glowing red of a newborn—kept him rooted in his place. Garrett smiled at my brother.

"I prefer the more traditional diet of my kind, as you can see. No need to worry, however. I enjoy your sister's friendship too much to jeopardize her goodwill with pursuing you as a snack." I knew Garrett was making a joke, but Gunner did not. His face paled slightly, making the freckles that marked his nose and cheeks stand out more.

"Uh, thanks. I guess." Gunner forced out. His voice hardly sounded like his own.

"Our guests follow the treaty the Quileute have with us," Jasper said, smoothing it over the same way Carlisle would have had he been there. "Unless they have a desire to be ripped to shreds, Garrett won't touch you. You know that my family, and both of my friends, follow an animal blood diet. Contrary to Garrett's attempt at humor, you're quite safe here, Gunner."

Despite Jasper's words, I had my doubts that Gunner believed in his own safety. I tried to catch Edward's eye, to try to glean any kind of clue that he might know from Gunner's thoughts. Edward had been more or less avoiding me, though, since Kate had come to Forks.

I sighed to myself, frustrated. Jasper ran his hand up my back, so he could run his fingers through my hair soothingly.

I wanted Gunner to be comfortable before Friday. That was my goal, since it was important to both Carlisle and Sam that my brother be in attendance. But I wasn't so sure that was going to happen.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi, friends, I love you. I hope you don't mind taking a bit of time to further introduce Gunner to the supernatural world. As we all know, Gunner and Maisie are very close, so I felt like it is necessary to both of their character arcs to explore how they do that together.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great weekend/week!


	52. Chapter Fifty-One

**_-Chapter Fifty-One-_**

* * *

On Thursday evening, Jasper sat with me in my window seat, window open, so I could feed the owl. She still hunted for herself, but now she understood that I was a source of food. Sometimes, when she was close enough, she would let me pet her head.

I ran my finger over her feathers now. They were softer than I ever though an owl's feathers would be; I was surprised every time I touched her.

"How do you know it's a female owl?" Jasper whispered. She didn't like Jasper, unlike Pepper and Honeybun, who were used to him.

"I just know," I said at first. Then I tilted my head forward, toward the tree outside my window where she had made her nest. "Plus she has eggs. Little Jezebel."

Under my touch, she shook her feathers. That was my cue that she had had enough petting. I pulled my finger away, reaching behind me for her mouse while Jasper shook with laughter. He didn't laugh out loud, so as to not scare the owl, I was sure. "I'm thinkin of naming her Luna."

I shook the little paper bag for her, letting lose the dead mouse onto the window's ledge. It was sickly fascinating, watching her eat. She scooped the mouse into her talons, fluttering the short distance from the window to the tree. Alighting on a branch, she spread her wings wide, turning her head backwards, fixing me with her big, golden eyes.

"You know I don't want it," I told her. "I _gave_ it to you."

She puffed her feathers—in defense or indignation, I couldn't guess—before beginning to tear into the mouse with her beak.

"Very original name, for an owl," Jasper teased. I ignored him.

"She's a boreal owl. I've been reading about her." Luna was a small owl, with brown and white spotted feathers. During the day, when she was roosting, she blended in so well that you would never know she were there unless you knew to look for her.

"I didn't realize you were so serious about the owl idea." I shrugged, my shoulder grazing Jasper's when I did so.

"I just like her."

That was the truth. I did like Luna. There was something comforting about seeing her in my window each morning, hunkered over her eggs. Or watching her at night, when she flew from the tree to hunt if I didn't have something for her. I liked the way her wings cut silently through the air.

I leaned my head against Jasper's shoulder, and I felt his arm wrap around me. We watched Luna quietly for a few moments.

"This isn't…gross…to you?" I tilted my head up in time to see Jasper wince at the thin sound of the mouse's bones cracking among Luna's work. It was almost funny, his being put off by the little owl eating when he had surely seen much worse in all his combined years of military experience.

"Kind of," I admitted. "But it's only her nature."

* * *

I'm sure it wasn't what Carlisle intended, but the meeting with Sam became very…segregated. Gunner, understandably, stuck close to me. Though, with the exception of Jacob, I was on good terms with all of the pack members in attendance, Jasper also stayed close by. The three of us shared a settee that had been brought down from Alice's bedroom for extra seating.

Before Sam arrived with most of his pack, everyone had been spread around the Cullen house. Esme was fretting about, smoothing pillows and placing a new plate of cookies on the coffee table. She was on a cookie kick, I supposed. Edward had been playing something smooth and slow on the piano—to soothe himself or everyone else, I wasn't sure. Garrett and Peter were debating which would be harder to defeat, a newborn vampire or an experienced werewolf.

The knock on the door, though, had a polarizing effect. All the Cullens and their guests gravitated toward the left side of the living room, where Jasper was already sitting with Gunner and I. Carlisle was the only outlier in this phenomenon as he strode toward the door to welcome Sam and the others inside.

Leah was leading the others inside, rather than Sam. It wasn't lost on me that she held her head high, a bandana holding back her cropped hair to showcase her dark, focused eyes and determined jut of her jaw. Obviously, Leah was anticipating something going south. One look at Jacob, sandwiched between Sam and another huge guy—Jared or Paul, I didn't know which—made it obvious why.

His brows were low and furrowed, his lips pursed. While Leah's determination was obvious, so was Jacob's brooding. Jasper sighed beside me, rubbing at his eyes, and my suspicions about Jacob's sour mood was confirmed. I caught Edward pinching the bridge of his nose, which was his own stressed tell. Whatever Jacob was thinking must have been as bad as what he was feeling.

"Welcome to our home," Carlisle greeted, his voice warm but his smile empty. "Thank you for agreeing to another meeting."

Carlisle swept his arm wide, gesturing for the pack to take a seat on any of the available couches. Esme was perched on the armrest of a chair that was positioned just so, marking it as taken. Once Carlisle took his own seat, he would effectively be a king, taking the head position of this council. He waited until everyone else was seated—Leah and Sam had to push on Jacob's shoulders to get him to take a spot on the couch—before taking his own.

Jasper dipped his head toward mine. I felt his lips brush across my ear. "Try to remember your brother's place in this, should Jacob try to bait you."

I sent Jasper a look, but I took my brother's hand in mine at the same time. I gave Gunner's hand a tight squeeze. He returned it, though he didn't look at me. Instead, his eyes were flitting between Carlisle and Sam.

"I think we're all aware that there has been an…incident, recently," Carlisle began, then paused.

"Yes," Sam conceded. "There has been. My ancestors did not allow such actions in their packs. Neither do I."

I was surprised to hear Sam speak so formally. Then again, perhaps he was trying to match the tone Carlisle had already set.

"I am aware that, despite our vast differences, my family and yours share a commonality. The preservation of the secret of our respective natures is paramount. Now, before I make myself sound like a hypocrite, I am aware that one of my sons has hedged this rule. Revealing the secret to Maisie was not something that Jasper had taken lightly, and indeed, it saved not only her own life but the lives of her family as well just last year. I am also aware that the human partners of pack members are provided with the truth, yes?"

Sam nodded seriously. "That's right. They're also asked to keep the secret. It's not guaranteed that children in the next generation will inherit the genes. Also, for the first time in our tribes' history, there's a female pack member. We'll have to wait to see how Leah's genes are passed into the next generation."

"We both have exceptions to our rules. There is behavior that is allowable…and, by that token, behavior that is not." Here, Carlisle cut his eyes at Jacob, and I think Gunner and I collectively held our breath.

Jacob nearly stood. One of the big guys threw his arm across Jacob's chest, knocking him back down.

"Cool it, man," I heard Seth admonish him. Sam glared at Jacob himself.

"You know he's speaking the truth."

"I only did it because—" Leah cut him off here.

"Because you're an idiot, Jacob. We're guests here. Let Carlisle speak."

"Thank you." Carlisle dipped his head in gratitude toward Leah. "I wish to make something clear, Samuel. I do not want you to leave here with the impression that I don't value our treaty. I hold it above all else; it is as good as law for my family, and our guests as well. As you can see, Peter and Charlotte are converting to our alternative diet. Garrett does not feed anywhere in Forks, in respect of the treaty. Maisie is as knowledgeable as any of my family members, yet she, too, has closely guarded the secret. I have great faith that Gunner will do the same. I do not think it is unfair to say that we, collectively, have always upheld our end."

Carlisle paused again. His words hung heavy over us. I only realized he was waiting for Sam's reply when he finally gave it. "I suppose that's fair."

"I have always been lenient towards the packs through the years. I understand your history and the origin of your perspectives." There was an unsaid 'but' at the end of Carlisle's sentence. "A war is never what I'm seeking. As you know, we are dealing with a separate difficulty currently. I appreciate the help you have extended toward us in the past. However, I think we can both agree that such exhibits as the one put on New Year's night cannot be tolerated. It jeopardizes both of us."

"I do agree," Sam said solemnly. "Thank you for allowing me to handle the situation within my pack. I hope it doesn't come to it, but I understand why you're upset and why you might make a decision to take matters into your own hands if something else happens in the future."

I let out the breath I was holding too soon. From the downcast eyes of Leah, Paul, Jared, Seth, and Colin, it was obvious they had already known what Sam was going to say. Jacob very much did not.

His reaction was instantaneous. This time, Jacob moved too quick for anyone to grab at him. None of the vampires in attendance made any attempts. Neither did me or Gunner, not that we could have if we tried.

Jacob hardly made it out of the house before he phased. I had seen the wolves before, but I had never seen the transformation from human to wolf. It was quick; done literally in the blink of an eye. The sound that came with it—something otherworldly and grinding—sent a shiver down my spine.

No wonder Gunner had been scared.

I didn't even realize I had jumped until I felt Jasper's hands on my shoulders steadying me. Gunner had seen it before, though. He stayed still, though his eyes trailed after Jacob as he ran.

"Dammit," Sam cursed under his breath. "I'm sorry. We had better go after him."

Sam, more courteous even in his haste, ran into the tree line away from the house before phasing. Jared and Paul followed in tandem. With a tilt of her head, Leah motioned for Seth and Colin to follow suit.

"You're not going?" I asked Leah, breaking the silence. She shook her head, a smirk on her face.

"I'm not chasing after Jake's drama queen ass. Besides, we drove here. If those idiots want to run all the way home, that's fine by me. I'll just drive back and save myself all that trouble."

I could feel how stiff Gunner was beside me. Watching Jacob phase for a second time had likely recalled memories from the first time. I bumped him with my shoulder, trying to get him to loosen up a little.

"You ready, too, Gun?" I asked him. He nodded, but barely so. He also didn't make a move to stand until both Leah and I had.

"Thank you," Leah said again to Carlisle. She truly was a good diplomat for the pack. "I know Jake's throwing a fit right now, but Sam was expecting this. He agrees that it's fair."

"I hope it will not come to that." Carlisle was more sincere when talking to Leah. Whether that was because she was my friend or because he respected her more, I wasn't sure. "But I must put my foot down at some point. I will not jeopardize the well-being of my family."

Alice rose fluidly to walk us out of the house. I wasn't surprised that she took this job for herself. As the one with the least inhibitions about being a vampire, with Emmett close behind, Alice had gathered great skills when it came to humans. She escorted us out with her fluid little steps.

I tried to see Alice the way Gunner might. Her pale skin, her big, black eyes—someone hadn't hunted in a while. The way she carried her body with such light grace. The fact that, despite the cold night, I couldn't see her breaths. Apparently, I also hadn't seen when she had scooped up some of Esme's cookies.

She pressed a handful into each of our hands. "I hear they're good. Maisie's the only taste-tester we've ever had, so that consensus might be subjective."

Her eyelid dropped in a playful wink.

"Thanks," Leah said, her voice somewhat reluctant. "Seth will be stoked."

With Leah's final statement, that was the end of the night. Gunner didn't seem interested in discussing any of it. I couldn't say I blamed him. While I had always entertained the idea of things that were deemed foolish legends—ghosts, aliens, the Chupacabra when we live in New Mexico—he had rejected it all.

I should have known my brother would have a harder time than I did, entering a world of vampires and werewolves.

* * *

As January slid into February, my softball pre-season preparations began. We got a new coach—an older guy from Oregon named Coach Quick. That's exactly what he wanted us to be: quick. It was too early for us to be on the field, so he set us in a schedule of weight lifting and running.

On the first day, Coach Quick had us run two and a half miles. By our first game, he wanted us doing at least five.

"I thought we were softball players, not track stars," Jess puffed beside me. We made a loop around Newton's Sporting Goods, following the running path Coach Quick had made for us. The actual track stars were using Forks High's track, leaving us to run around town.

"This sucks," I agreed. Lauren was far ahead of us. She was one of the only ones taking our new schedules seriously. Her motivation to get to UCLA was keeping Lauren working harder than ever to make up for the time she lost when Leah accidentally gave her a concussion last semester.

Sometimes, when they like us, I guess, Mike and Tyler would toss us bottles of water when we passed the Newton's store.

Coach Quick was serious about our training, too, of course. Though we had yet stepped foot on the field, he didn't allow us to wear any jewelry, even while just running. I had developed a routine of taking out all my earrings and shoving them in my backpack as soon as the end of the day bell rang. I was more cautious with my bracelet and ring from Jasper, though.

Alice and I shared our final class. Every day, I would slip off my ring and bracelet and pass them to her before heading to the gym to change for practice. And every day, after practice, I knew where I would find them. Alice always put them in the same place: on my dresser, with the ring sitting perfectly in the middle of the circle created by the bracelet.

I always checked before shedding my sweaty clothes to take a shower. On any given day, I could walk into my room after practice and see my ring and bracelet waiting for me on my dresser.

Until one day, a handful of days before my eighteenth birthday, something was different. My usual quick glance gave me pause. I stopped near my doorway, one hand still on the doorknob. My bracelet was there, as always. But the space in the middle of it was empty.

My ring was gone.

And I knew, immediately, why.

A chill ran down my spine. I felt like I was moving in slow motion when I turned to take in the rest of my room. Only then did I realize that my window was cracked open, a little breeze fluttering the curtains.

I dropped my softball bag on the floor, forcing my leaden feet to take me to the window. When I reached it, instead of slamming it shut, I opened it.

Positioned carefully on the branch closest to my window, plainly so I could see, was my little Luna, her neck at an unnatural angle even for an owl. My eyes flew to her nest, where all of her eggs were smashed, bloody yolks oozing from the shells.

I knew before seeing Luna who had been in my room. I had felt it in my blood, in the same place _her_ venom ran through my veins. My knees felt weak; I had to catch myself on the window seat. Had I not seen my entire family—Dad working on insurance paperwork for my car at the table while Mom cooked dinner, Gunner good-naturedly letting Ava win at Mario Kart on the living room TV—I would have ran downstairs to ensure their safety.

Instead, I dipped my head, taking shallow, gasping breaths. Sure, I knew Maria was close. Never had I expected her to get _this_ close, to somehow slip past the notice of Jasper or Peter or Charlotte, all of whom knew her well.

I rocked back onto my heels, reaching for my phone in the pocket of my softball bag. My hands were shaking so bad that I was hardly able to unlock it and find Jasper's name in my contacts.

"Hello?" He answered, with a smile in his voice. I wondered, distantly, what had amused him.

I had to take a deep breath, filling my lungs until it felt like they might burst, before I could form any kind of reply.

"Jasper," I said first, my voice breaking over his name. "I need you."

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for continuing to follow me on this ride. I love hearing from you all, and I hope you enjoy.


	53. Chapter Fifty-Two

**_-Chapter Fifty-Two-_**

* * *

Jasper was not happy in the days that followed. He kicked himself a lot, for not realizing anything was amiss. But then…

"She has a lot going for her," I overheard Peter whisper to him the night it happened, in a voice so low I nearly missed it. "Maisie smells like her. Alice's visions are spotty thanks to the wolves."

"She's showing off," Jasper murmured. More to Peter or himself, I wasn't sure. "We know she's in the area, but she's gloating because she's still able to slip past us."

Everything about it had been a message for me. From my stolen ring, to the open window, to Luna's body left for me to see. All of it was telling me something. _See, you're not safe. I can get you any time I want. It's only by my whim you're still alive._

I could feel the flares of anger from Jasper. Who was it aimed at more, I wondered? Himself or Maria?

"Here's what must have happened," Peter said, slipping easily into military mode. Both Garrett and Kate leaned forward, intently listening to his words. "Somehow, she knows Maisie's routine. Maria's been doing her research, which we had anticipated. It's her way. I just can't figure out how, exactly. Still, she knows the routine. She knows about the flaw in Alice's visions, where the wolves are concerned. She knows she can come close, because Maisie smells like her, which helps mask her own scent and gives her time. Edward, did you hear her?"

He shook his head, slowly swinging his head this way and that. Edward kept glancing at Jasper, with worry evident in his eyes. Whatever thoughts Jasper was having must not have been great ones. "No. I'm sorry. There are limitations to my own gift. I'm not familiar with her 'voice', so to speak, and the rest of the Thompson family was home. That, too, provided her some cover, as it kept me from picking up on and focusing on her thoughts."

"I'm terribly sorry," Alice apologized profusely again. "She wasn't there when I was. I would have realized if we crossed paths. And I'm sorry I didn't see."

She took a deep breath before continuing.

"Gunner makes things blurry, because of his connection to Leah. I can still see some things, though, since the relationship between them hasn't solidified yet. We might be able to get a clearer idea if Teddy helps me look."

Hearing Alice's pet name for him was enough to draw Edward out of his close watch on Jasper. He attempted a smile for his sister. "Of course I will, Ali."

If any in-depth searching went on that night, I didn't know. One of us, unfortunately, was still required to go to school. Unlike Jasper and his siblings, I didn't even have one high school diploma to my name. While I was there, all Alice looked at was the next day. Only after we had her confirmation did Jasper take me home.

He was still uneasy, I could tell. But so was I. Here was the flaw in Jasper's gift, at least where the two of us were concerned: with our emotions often blended as they were, when we were both feeling something negative, it was compounded by the other.

While he paced my floor, I woodenly cleaned up my clothes from practice and packed clean ones in my bag. I had been tossing my bag on my window seat each night, so I wouldn't forget it come morning.

Somehow, I had forgotten about Luna while I was at the Cullens'. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. There was a lot going on that night. But seeing her little body there on the tree branch out the window when I put my bag away broke whatever resolve I had been clinging to. The sob came out as a hiccup at first, shaking my back with its force. I covered my mouth with my hand as tears began to stream down my cheeks.

I got a taste of Jasper's annoyance before he even spoke.

"There are much bigger things to worry about than the life of an owl," he snapped at me. It wasn't so much what he said; logically, he was right. And, truly, what he said wasn't even that unkind…but it was the first time he had ever shown me anything other than patience and tenderness. The sharp cut of his tone didn't go unfelt.

It occurred to me, for the first time, that Maria and I had known very different versions of Jasper.

My immediate reaction was to glare at him over my shoulder. "Don't think it hasn't dawned on me that lives bigger than Luna's could be lost in this. But an innocent animal wouldn't have died if I hadn't gotten it into my head to use it. I don't need to be talked down to."

I had never known how to counter confrontation with anything other than retaliation. Under different circumstances, perhaps I would have been scared to be in a cold stare-off with a vampire.

"I wasn't patronizing you," he grumbled after a beat, folding first.

"Weren't you?" I turned to face him head on, a large swath of floor between us. I crossed my arms over my chest, cocking an eyebrow. "Given the circumstances, I think I've earned the right to be upset."

The tears were still rolling down my cheeks in hot little trails. I wondered how I was able to keep my voice steady and low. Jasper blew his breath, the air rattling from his chest to pass his lips. He scrubbed at his face with his hands, making a mess of the front of his hair as he ran his hands up and down.

"You've more than earned it." I was surprised he was able to get those words out with how tightly he was holding his jaw.

"This affects both of us, I know. We both have friends and family and each other to lose in this." I was so mad, it was making me hot. I also couldn't tell if these were my own emotions entirely or if I was feeding off Jasper's own foul mood. Slowly, some of it drained away. I began to feel almost cold, and entirely exhausted, as some of the anger leeched from my middle.

So, it wasn't all entirely mine.

"I'm sorry," Jasper pronounced the words carefully, like I might miss their meaning if he didn't. Or, perhaps, like he wouldn't be able to see them if he didn't concentrate on them so entirely. "I'll watch the area tonight."

I knew he didn't intend to stay with me in my room that night. He needed space and to fuel his anger into something. Despite his frustrations, Jasper was still a gentleman at his core. He still kissed me, softly, on first my forehead and then my lips before disappearing from my room in a blur.

Blessedly, I was so exhausted that I didn't dream once that night. When I grabbed my softball bag before school in the morning, I noticed that Luna's little body was gone from the tree. At first, I thought something must have scavenged her remains.

Then I noticed the little hill of dirt at the trunk of the tree. Someone—Jasper, I knew—had dug her a little grave. Her ruined eggs were gone, too. He must have buried them with their mother. A pretty, greenish-blue river rock served as a headstone. I couldn't help but smile, my leftover frustration with Jasper from the night before melting away.

We had both been stressed and frustrated. I was just thankful that it was recognized before any of it escalated and truly hurtful words were said. While my missing ring was still weighing on my mind, at least I was able to go to school with a lighter heart.

That lasted only as long as the first bell. While I was making my way to my first class, Alice stopped me in the breezeway between buildings.

"Come with me," she said softly to me, as if she might break me if she spoke too loudly. She slipped her hand into mine, tugging me forward.

"Are we skipping?" I asked. Alice gave me a noncommittal shrug. I noticed she was wearing a knitted headwrap, her usually spiky-styled pixie cut hair more subdued. She had fed at some time since I saw her last; her large eyes were bright gold under the edge of the purple headwrap.

"Perhaps only first-period." Alice led me across the campus, toward the gym. Forks High was a small school, but each sport had its own 'compound'. The compounds were low, metal buildings that housed a shower or two as well as lockers for the athletes. It didn't take long to figure out that Alice was leading me to the softball compound.

Alice produced Coach Quick's key to the compound—I had no idea how she came to get her hands on it—and led me inside. "I thought the key might be easier. No need to scale a building and break in through a window, if you have a key."

Locker 18 was mine. We stopped in front of my locker, and Alice canted her head forward. "Open it."

"Um. Okay." I twisted the dial and entered my combination, which I'm sure she would have been able to figure out herself, either from her visions or thoughts Edward had overheard. But I humored Alice, opening the lock and letting the metal locker door swing forward. I expected it to be empty; I only filled it with my bag and school clothes when I changed for practice. Sitting dead center in the bottom of my locker, though, was my ring.

My excitement over seeing it again had me instantly reaching my hand into my locker. Alice's hand stopped me, curling around my wrist.

"Wait," she murmured. When I looked at her, I realized her eyes were unfocused. She was only half with me, half in the future. "Okay. Go ahead."

I guessed she had been looking to see if it were some kind of trap. She cleared me, though, so I quickly snatched up my ring and slid it back into its place on my finger. I hadn't realized until I had it back how bare my hand had felt without it. I pressed my hand to my chest, relaxing now that I had my ring back.

But then, a thought occurred to me. "When do you think she was here?"

"I don't know." The petulance in Alice's voice threw me for a moment. I looked at her and realized that her eyebrows were drawn together in frustration. "She's masking herself, somehow. I can't figure out how, though. No one can. Not Edward or Jasper or Peter. Not even Garrett has seen anything like her apparent ability to make herself invisible to Edward and I alike."

It was a puzzle for sure. One I definitely didn't look forward to trying to solve, even though I knew it was necessary. I was happy to have my ring back, but I knew this, too, was a sign.

"She's playing games. Showing off," I murmured. This wasn't anything new. I couldn't even count how many times I had heard Jasper mumble that very thing to himself or to Peter.

"Yeah," Alice agreed, everything about her still uneasy. "And we can't lose."

* * *

I ran faster at practice that day. Partially because Jess was out with cramps and I was bored and had feeble hopes of catching up with Lauren, but also because I was almost certain I was being followed. Not by a person or a vampire, though. A mountain lion.

We ran close to the road, out of the cover of the trees. I only noticed the mountain lion because there was a patch of our path where we ran parallel to the Crowleys' house. Ty's family had a big chocolate lab. Usually, though there was a road between us, the lab would bark happily at us.

Not that day. I turned a little to wave at Tyler's dog only to see his eyes fixed steadily on something over my head. I slowed my run, and the lab began to growl. Tipping my head back, I met the big, yellow eyes of a mountain lion.

"Shit," I mumbled to myself. A mountain lion out in the day time would usually mean it was rapid, but this one looked more than sane. It obviously had its wits about it. The huge animal was looking right down at me, from high in a tree.

If it had made any noise, I hadn't noticed. I probably wouldn't have noticed, either, unless the mountain lion decided I looked like a good snack. Now would have been a great time for some of the things Mr. Newton had taught us about mountain lions to come to me. But my mind was blank, and I couldn't do anything more than stare.

Which, I thought afterward, was what the cat wanted. I took a half step away from it, backwards, toward the road. A low growl rumbled from the mountain lion's throat, and it shook its massive head. At that moment, I understood.

This was not just a mountain lion. This was something _more._

I froze with my foot mid-air. Of course, I was too far behind Lauren to call out to her—and too far ahead of the other girls to get their attention, either. To make things worse, I didn't have my phone because I'm an idiot.

The mountain lion tipped its head to the side, indicating, I guessed, for me to continue my run. I didn't know what else to do, so I did. I wasn't sure I had a choice, anyway. Though no verbal command had been made, I started jogging forward without really deciding to. It was like my legs were moving of their own accord, bowing to this…animal's?...will. Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed the cat prowling through the tall trees.

I was too scared to do anything other than what the mountain lion apparently wanted me to do. So I kept running, following the path Coach Quick had given us. I was careful of my pacing; I had no idea what the end game here was. I didn't want either Lauren nor the other girls to be put in the way of this…animal? Thing? I was undecided on what it was.

But somehow, I had a gut feeling that this was connected to Maria.

Every time I glanced over my shoulder, there the mountain lion was. Somehow, it managed to slip away by the time I finished the run and made it back to the softball compound.

Lauren was the only one in there, fixing her makeup in the little compact mirror she kept in her bag. When I came in—a little too fast, in my haste to get under cover—she lifted her eyes to scrutinize me.

"Why are you so pale?" she asked, pouting her lips. "Are you and Jess synced?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess." I pulled the door shut behind me, maybe a little too hard. "I started getting crampy while I was running."

"Should've went home," Lauren said, her attention shifting back to her mascara. "Obviously periods freak Coach Quick out. You wouldn't have gotten in trouble for cutting the run short."

Lauren wasn't wrong. I probably could have…if it weren't for my new friend. Jasper was picking me up, though, so at least I would be able to tell him about it soon.

"I'm gonna shower before everyone else gets here," I told her. I took my phone with me into the communal bathroom, starting the water before dialing Jasper's number.

"Hey," I murmured into the phone. "I'm gonna ask you a dumb question."

There was a ghost of humor in Jasper's voice, but I could tell he was distracted, too. I wondered what he was working on. "A dumb question?"

"Yeah. I know the Quileute can shapeshift into wolves, but, like…can other people shift into other animals?"

Jasper's pause was so long that I was starting to think that he really _did_ think I was an idiot.

"Jazz?" I prompted, my voice halting.

"Maisie, I love you," he said in reply. "Are you done with practice? I'll be there in five minutes."

I threw my hair into a bun and scrubbed myself clean as quickly as possible. Lauren was already gone when I got out, but the other girls hadn't returned. I had barely pulled on sweats when I heard the rumble of Jasper's motorcycle. I rushed out the door, anxious to get away from this place, where I was sure the mountain lion was still somewhere unseen.

Jasper greeted me by taking my face between his hands, planting a solid and lingering kiss to my mouth. My anxieties eased just a little, having him so close. I pulled away first, not because I wanted the kiss to end, but because I wanted to get closer to the others. Safety in numbers.

"Hi," I told him. "Let's go."

Golden eyes roaming around, Jasper surveyed our surroundings. If anything stuck out to him, he gave no indication. He knew me well, easily reading my mood.

"Tell me whatever happened while we drive. I'll be able to hear you."

I had no doubt he would, despite my helmet and the loud motorcycle. As he always had, Jasper gently slipped my helmet over my head. I was more than happy to wrap my arms around him, to feel the strength of him through his long-sleeved shirt. The fabric was thin; unlike Emmett, the cold didn't bother Jasper. He must have been in such a rush that he hadn't thought to bring a jacket.

I pressed myself closely to him before I started to relay the story to him. He stiffened at my words, I could feel it. But his voice came to me, low and somewhat eerie in its calmness.

"I think I'm beginning to understand."

This time I stiffened, a shiver running down my spine. "Is that good or bad?"

"Both, probably," Jasper answered after a considerable pause. I pressed myself closer to him, closing my eyes. My vision was already darkened thanks to the tint of my helmet. With my eyes shut, though, I was able to almost pretend it was just a normal motorcycle ride.

* * *

 **A/N:** Before Jasper, Maria had Nettie and Lucy...then she had Jazz...but who was her sidekick _after_ Jasper left her army? I decided she needed another one pretty early on in writing this story. I also decided that it made no sense that the Quileute are the only shapeshifters we encounter in the whole _Twilight_ realm. So I decided to incorporate another form of shapeshifters.

I hope you like this addition to the story! I've been planning it for a long time.

I'm sorry in advance if it takes me a while to get the rest of this story out. There is a lot of action towards the end, and that's something I have always struggled to write. I hope I can do the ideas in my head justice, and write something that y'all will enjoy!


	54. Chapter Fifty-Three

_**-Chapter Fifty-Three-**_

* * *

"Tell me everything you know about shapeshifters."

Thanks to Maisie—glorious, brilliant Maisie—Jasper had a lead on breaking the puzzle.

"I've only encountered the Quileute tribe and true werewolves, during m stay with the Volturi," Carlisle told him, the surprise evident on his face. "You know that, son."

Jasper waved his hand, more out of annoyance or anticipation, he couldn't tell.

"I know." He made sure to soften his voice, keep it respectful. Jasper did hold Carlisle in the highest esteem. "But you've come across some, haven't you, Peter? Charlotte?"

His questions had drawn Edward's attentions. From upstairs, Jasper could hear him peeling himself from the couch in his room. It was amazing to Jasper that his brother hadn't yet fused with the piece of furniture, considering all the time he spent sprawled across it and brooding.

He wished, suddenly, that Emmett were there.

"One. Not a whole tribe, like you hold an alliance with. Remember, Char? In South America?"

"Oh, yes." Charlotte's smile brought forth her dimples. Edward slipped into Carlisle's study, sinking to the floor when he realized there was no other seating left. Jasper had gathered Peter, Charlotte, Kate, and Garrett into the room. "It was a rarity. We only happened to know of the young boy's abilities because we saw him phase."

"And what did he shapeshift into?" Carlisle beat him to his own question.

"An anaconda," Peter answered. The memory, he supposed, made Charlotte shudder. "A rather large one, at that."

"Huh." Carlisle retrieved a pad of thick, creamy paper and a fountain pen. "Certainly wouldn't be my first choice."

"It was at will? His phasing?"

"Appeared to be. There was nothing exceptional going on in the heavens or with the weather."

Jasper turned to Kate next. "Has anything shown itself in Alaska?"

She gave a pert shake of her head. "No man I've come across there turned out to be an animal in that way."

If only Kate's mother had still been alive. Perhaps Tanya would have known more…but not even Jasper wanted to consider that. Out of respect for his little brother, he hadn't contacted Kate's sister.

"Thanks." Edward glanced up at Jasper. All their guests had grown used to Edward's gift; nobody bothered to ask what, exactly, he was thanking Jasper for.

"Garrett?" He ventured next, hoping Carlisle's nomadic friend might have more information.

"I've heard more than I've seen," Garrett admitted. "After all, shapeshifters are typically more skilled at blending with humans than we are. If I have encountered more than I realized, I wouldn't be surprised. The Quileute shapeshifters…I've never smelled a creature that is pungent like that. Other shapeshifters might not have that give away."

He could see that Garrett, more so than the others, was catching on to what he was getting at. Carlisle still looked perplexed, though he hadn't stopped adding to his list.

 _It stands to reason that Ali wouldn't be able to see any shapeshifters._

"Of course," Edward murmured.

"Of course, _what?_ " Garrett asked. "I don't know how you do it with the kid, Carlisle. Half of his conversations are one-sided."

"Only one-sided to you," Carlisle said coolly. "They're full conversations for Edward."

For his own part, Edward glared up at Garrett from his seat on the floor. "Alice can't see the Quileute shapeshifters, so it would be easy to hypothesize she would be unable to see other shapeshifting types in her visions."

"How easily can you read their thoughts, when they're in their wolf forms?" Jasper asked his brother. Edward's eyebrows knit together.

"I have to concentrate a bit more. Their thoughts come across muffled…like radio interference. But I can still hear them through the static."

Jasper nodded to himself. He could feel Peter's eyes on him, and he knew that the needed to explain himself to his old friend. So, he recounted Maisie's story about the mountain lion.

"Oh, Maisie," Carlisle murmured, shaking his head, once Jasper was done. "We've made her too comfortable in our world."

"If she hadn't followed the lion's cues…who knows what would have happened. I wonder where Maria found a shifter to do her bidding." Peter's reaction had gone from surprised to accepting with astonishing speed. Neither of them were willing to put anything past Maria's capabilities.

"I don't know, but it would explain a lot of things. How she would know Maisie's schedule so well—she's had surveillance this whole time, we just haven't recognized it."

"Explains why she's only sent a few newborns around," Peter threw in. Beside the one that had caused Maisie and Gunner's car wreck, Peter and Charlotte had intercepted one while hunting just last week. The Quileute had caught two more on their land. "Why waste your expendable forces so soon when you have a spy? A damn unexpected one at that."

When Jasper went to Maisie that evening, she was still awake, though it was nearly midnight. He found her brooding over unfinished homework, her laptop open before her. The screen displayed a half-finished paper.

He had intended to fill her in on what scant information he had been able to piece together, but when Maisie's eyes flicked upward, he found the words stuck in his throat. The blue of her eyes had taken on a hardness, and there were dark circles underscoring them.

"It's another message. Nothing she does is haphazard. Everything has a reason, some part to play in her scheme." Jasper could have told Maisie that himself, through his extensive experiences with Maria. It was clear these revelations were haunting Maisie, though. "A message for what though?"

"I couldn't tell you," he told her honestly, shamefully. "Alice won't be able to see this mountain lion shifter, either."

Jasper moved Maisie's homework to her desk, joining her on the bed and drawing her close. She leaned into him. A deep breath reminded him how much she smelled like a vampire, rather than a human. Maria's venom hadn't faded at all in her blood.

"Dead ends," she murmured against his shoulder. Only when her tears soaked through his shirt, wet and hot, did he realize she was crying.

"Maisie," he said softly, tipping her head back. Using his thumbs, he brushed her tears away. A wave of exhaustion so deep and heavy wafted from her, making Jasper's own eyelids flutter. He hardly knew how she was still conscious.

"I just want it to be over." Maisie's voice came to him in a cracked whisper. Her gaze dropped to his mouth, her eyes shifting in color to a darker shade. A shiver wracked his spine—Jasper was almost certain her thoughts were as dark as her eyes.

"I couldn't."

He hated to admit it, but he knew he lacked the willpower necessary to change Maisie himself. That would be a task for Carlisle… _if_ that's what Maisie truly wanted.

She shook her head, still framed by his hands. "I couldn't, either."

A deep sigh rumbled through her. She had been working in the dark of her bedroom. With her homework abandoned on the desk, she pulled Jasper down with her on top of the blankets.

"Help me sleep?" She asked, fitting herself to him. Head on his chest, arm wrapped around his waist, legs tangled with his.

"Sure, honey." He obliged her, using his gift to relax her enough to fall into a deep slumber.

While Maisie slept, he finished her homework for her. Jasper was endlessly frustrated that he wasn't able to resolve the situation with Maria faster. At least he could take this stress away for Maisie.

* * *

"Hi, don't hug me, I'm sweaty. I ran all the way here."

The Maisie of the current year and the Maisie of the previous year were night and day. When Maisie had turned seventeen, she was all smiles and excitement.

Today, on her eighteenth birthday, she was as she had described herself: sweaty from her run, cheeks flushed, legs and arms aching from her workouts. Jasper didn't need Edward's telepathy to know Maisie would be more than thrilled to be back on the softball field and stop her pre-season training.

Even with her heart beating strong and fast, Jasper's thirst was not tempted. Neither was Garrett's, he knew.

He handed her a bottle of water.

"You didn't _have_ to run," Edward pointed out. Maisie's eye roll let him know how unhelpful she thought his comment was.

"Did you watch, or no?" She asked. "Because that was a lot of running for you to have not paid attention, if that's the case."

"I watched," Kate volunteered. "So at least one of us did our jobs for sure. The mountain lion stopped following you about thirty yards from the house."

While they waited for Maisie to make it to the house, Kate had sat on the roof, keeping watch.

"Way to give away our location, by the way." Garrett was in a chastising mood. "We should have had you run to some kind of rally point instead."

Maisie had been gulping her water down. With the bottle empty, she handed it to Jasper.

"What good would that have done? No doubt it already knows where y'all are. Maria's been to my house at least twice.". Maisie took Jasper's hand and pressed it to her cheek. Her body heat was almost blazing against his palm as she used his own lack of body heat to her advantage. It made him chuckle, and she smiled underneath his touch.

She turned to Edward, apparently wanting to get to the bottom of things. "Were you able to read its mind?"

" _Her_ mind. Yes. I had a bit of a rough start, but I was able to home in on her thoughts."

"Her?" Maisie's confusion was barely a spike, not making so much as a dent in her impatience. "Huh. Well?"

All eyes turned to Edward. For a moment, he didn't speak, but then a slow smile spread across his face. "She's not careful with her thoughts. But we need to be careful. I don't know why, or what makes this shapeshifter different from the Quileute, but she's apparently a maneater. Her train of thought was continuously distracted by the smell of humans. Maisie is repulsive to her—sorry Maisie—because of the vampire venom in her blood."

"You know how to give a girl a complex, Edward." Maisie's shoulders sagged, her relief obvious. Despite proclaiming herself too sweaty to hug earlier, she leaned into Jasper's side. He ran his hand through her ponytail, working out the knots her run had made in her hair.

"Ali?" Jasper prompted. "Were you able to see anything?"

She shook her head. Alice had tried her best, he knew. Her frustration with herself had been nearly palpable. "No. Edward's theory holds. I can't see this mountain lion shape shifter, either. What I _can_ see, though, is that your going to catch hell from Ava if you make everyone late to your own birthday dinner. You better get ready here, Maisie."

Alice inclined her head, motioning for Maisie to follow her up the stairs. Hesitantly, she disentangled herself from Jasper. "Alright. I can use your bathroom, then?"

"Yes. I'll do your hair when you get out. Don't wash it, the curls will hold better with your after-run hair."

Maisie and Alice made their way up the stairs and out of sight. Alice was already planning an outfit for Maisie from her own closet, describing it as they went to her bedroom.

"What else did you learn?" Jasper asked his youngest brother as soon as Maisie and Alice were in Alice's bedroom.

"Maria has her watching Maisie to make sure no one tries to turn her. From what I gather, Maria doesn't want that to happen, and I suppose I can guess why. That would end everything, wouldn't it?"

"It would," Jasper couldn't not agree with Edward on that point. But it wasn't somethin Maisie wanted. He understood why. Becoming a vampire would mean leaving her family behind. Perhaps not Gunner, now that Leah had imprinted on him, but her parents, Ava…Maisie would have to be 'dead' to them. "Was that all?"

"She doesn't have a full army. Maybe a small militia? Anyway, all of her newborns are across the Canadian border. _That's_ why we haven't seen many of them. She's only been sending the ones she thinks are expendable."

"That's definitely the same old Maria," Charlotte threw in. "The mountain lion shape shifter is still throwing me, though. She _hated_ animals."

"But she loves control and winning. Her pet would surely give her an edge over all other armies. And if Maria's mountain lion is akin to the Quileute shape shifters in any way, then she likely hasn't aged much so long as she lives with the army." Peter's eyebrows raised, and he nodded to affirm Jasper's summarization of their old leader.

"Did you happen to come across any thoughts of a game plan, boy?" Garrett, blessedly, lacked some degree of courtesy. He was willing to pry into Edward. Here, Edward shook his head, disrupting his coppery hair.

"Nothing more than _'I hope she sends Olivia next'_. I suppose theirs bad blood between this shifter and whoever Olivia is. There was one other thing to note, however. The shifter didn't think of Maria in terms of a leader, and never spoke her name in her thoughts. I was only able to connect it because a memory of Maria flashed through, quickly. The shifter calls Maria _mama_."

Now, that was a surprise. Jasper felt his eyebrows shoot up of their own will. When he met Peter's gaze, he found his brother in arms mimicking his expression.

"What the hell?" Peter asked no one in particular. There was no time to speculate, though. Alice had returned with Maisie in tow, her hair curled as Alice had promised and wearing a red dress.

"Please," Alice begged, going so far as to clasp her hands under her chin, "take the Volvo. Do _not_ ruin all my work with shoving a helmet over Maisie's head."

In the blink of an eye, Edward had run up the stairs and back. He tossed the keys to Jasper, which he easily caught.

"Eighteen, huh?" Kate asked. She had been observing most of the conversation with narrowed eyes. From Edward's repeated glances in her direction, there was apparently more going on in her head than she was letting on. "What does that mean in human years?"

"Oh, I can…gamble. Or claim myself on taxes. Buy cigarettes…join a war _legally_ if I want to." That last bit was directed at Jasper himself. Maisie tipped her head back to smile at him, mischief shining in her eyes.

"What's the fun of doing things the legal way?" Jasper asked, placing his hand on Maisie's back as they made their way to leave. Alice had forgotten to give Maisie a jacket, and she did a kind of half-run to Edward's Volvo.

"I just thought of something." Despite her run, Maisie still paused at the door and waited for Jasper to open it. "Everything you eat for appearances' sake tonight, you're going to have to throw it all up, huh?"

"Yes." Of all the things to be concerned about…but then, Maisie hadn't heard the downstairs conversation. He would have to get her caught up later in the night, after her birthday dinner. "Unfortunately."

"Ugh, that sounds awful." She shuddered, her shoulders giving a delicate shake as Maisie ducked into the car. Jasper leaned into the car from the passenger side, planting a kiss to her cheek.

"Believe me, it is. Never doubt my love for you."

Maisie laughed at the wink he punctuated his words with.

Jasper would have liked Maisie to be like this always, laughing and bright-eyed, excited despite herself over her birthday. But then his thoughts turned back to Maria and what they have pieced together about her 'daughter'. That was enough to shatter the illusion for sure.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm supposed to be doing homework so let's reveal some more about Maria's pet and plans instead, huh? Trying to flesh out Maria has been fun. A bit of a surprising ride-I feel like she's as much of an enigma as she is for Maisie.

Anyway, thank you for all of the lovely reviews! I hope you continue to enjoy! See y'all soon, and I love y'all!


	55. Chapter Fifty-Four

**_-Chapter Fifty-Four-_**

* * *

Bless Alice Cullen.

With the mess that had become my life, I hadn't realized I had neglected to complete college applications until I got an acceptance letter from the University of New Mexico.

"I didn't know you were planning on going back to the Land of Enchantment, Maisie Daisy," Dad said, handing me the envelope. I hoped my face didn't turn _too_ red.

"I don't know what I'm planning," I admitted, opening the envelope. There it was, my acceptance if I wanted it. I was even offered a small academic scholarship. "It's just an option."

 _You're welcome_ , was all that Alice's text said when it came through on my phone just a second later. I sent her back a heart emoji before turning back to my dad.

"Options are good. I like options." What Mom meant was that she liked that this letter wasn't from Alaska Pacific University, where Jasper was planning on returning to with Edward once the school year ended.

"What's that for?" Ava asked, looking at the letter and crinkling her nose.

"College," I told her. "More school."

"That's gross. Why would you need more school?"

"To help me get a good job," I explained.

"Why would you need that?" Ava asked. "Jasper's _rich_."

I laughed until I teared up. If my nerves weren't so raw, I don't know if I would have found it so funny. Unfortunately, all the money the Cullens had wasn't going to do a damn thing to help us. It would take a different kind of price, I was sure, to fix things.

"Good to know our little sister is going to be a sugar baby." Gunner was only passing through the living room to get to the kitchen, to refill his glass. Unfortunately for Gunner, Dad had played college baseball and it wasn't hard for him to peg my brother with one of Pepper's tennis balls.

"Inappropriate, Gun," he chided, but I could see that Dad was trying not to laugh. Gunner glared over his shoulder at Dad, rubbing his arm where the ball had hit him.

"She'll have more money than either of us ever will if she goes that route."

Ava was ignoring us, flouncing her way up the stairs to her room.

Before the week was out, I _did_ get an acceptance letter from APU, much to the chagrin of my parents.

* * *

"Sign me out of school, Maise."

I could hardly blame Gunner. It was a sunny day in February—an extreme rarity in Forks. The day was gorgeous: that almost-warm kind of winter day when the sun is strong. It glinted off the snow still blanketing the ground.

"I don't think it works that way," I regretted to inform my brother. "It's not like Mom and Dad put my name on your list."

Now that I was eighteen, I _could_ check _myself_ out of school. But not Gunner.

"Well, they should have. Or you could have Alice doctor it." I laughed at that. I couldn't help telling Gunner about how Alice had changed both mine and Edward's class schedules before the school year started, or how my influx of college acceptance letters were her doing.

"I'll see what I can do," I told him, splitting away from him in the hallway. It was time for my office aid hour, and time for Gunner to suffer through another calculus lesson. Leah was coming over later to pitch for me. We were going to have an experiment—would my newfound, venom-given strength allow me to make a hit off her werewolf-powered pitches?

"Miss Thompson." The school secretary greeted me with a nod. She never called me by my first name.

"Hey, Mrs. Culpepper. Any errands today?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Would you mind delivering letters of intent to some of the teachers? It would mean a bit of walking, but it's a nice day out."

"That's okay, I'll take them." She handed them to me in a manila envelope. The teachers' names were written on a sticky note on the front. One of the letters belonged to Coach Quick, which meant I would have to walk all the way across campus. I decided to take that one first.

Maybe I shouldn't have.

The sun was shining. That, of course, meant that Alice and Edward were missing from school that day. But my mind wasn't on that. I was thinking about my plans later that day with Leah. I was walking in the sun, and I was happy despite myself.

I felt the mountain lion's eyes before I saw either her or Maria. My walking slowed, my feet sinking into the slushy snow as I stopped. I turned my head, and there, on top of the gym, perched the mountain lion. Shielding my eyes with a hand, I watched her for a moment. Her tail swished back and forth as she returned my gaze.

" _Preciosa_."

The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I knew, without turning my head to look at Maria, that I was between the two of them. I was sure that's what they wanted. No matter which way I angled my body, I would have to have my back to one of them. Either Maria or the mountain lion would be blocked from my sight. That was a definite disadvantage for me.

I turned on my heels, choosing to face Maria.

Maria, unlike the Cullens, did not care if she stood in the sun. She had no goals of assimilating with humans. She stood in the full-on sunshine, the rays refracting off her skin.

"What are you doing here?" I forced myself to speak around the lump in my throat, just at the same time that Maria said, "You've grown so much. I didn't get a good look at you last time."

I hated the way she smiled. Her teeth looked sharp. I knew, logically, that all vampire teeth were sharp—Jasper had told me often enough. But only Maria's smile conjured the image of fangs in my mind.

She stepped forward, making her way toward me through the snow. Maria shook her head, making a tutting noise.

"Where are your manners, _preciosa_?"

When she spoke in English, her voice still carried a pretty, lilting accent. She wore a sundress, despite the snow around us.

"My name," I dared not move, though Maria was close enough now to reach a hand out and stroke my cheek, "is Maisie."

I did my best not to flinch when she touched me. I wasn't quite successful, and her eyes lit up in amusement.

"Maisie." She rolled my name in her mouth, tasting it. " _Qué bonita_. I think I might be a little sad to see those eyes turn red. My Jasper—he's still mine, never mind what the two of you believe; you both are for it is my venom that you both carry—he had brown eyes. Lovely, warm."

Was it my heartbeat roaring in my ears that made it hard for me to understand her? Or the way she was interrupting herself?

"My eyes will never be red." Somehow, I forced my voice to stay even.

Maria smiled her razor-sharp smile at me. Then, she leaned forward kissing me on the mouth. My heart beat faster, somehow. I should have run, but somehow, I was frozen in place. It was not until she pulled back, and I saw my blood staining her mouth, that I realized she had bit my lip.

Already, I felt the venom burning in my blood. I knew, from her quirked eyebrow and subtle shake of her head, that she hadn't given me near enough to do any damage.

This was nothing more than a reminder. A message.

Just like she did the night I met her, Maria licked my blood from her lips. Her eyes pulsed a brighter shade of red as she cleaned her mouth.

Maria had given me so little venom that it hardly hurt. Or perhaps I had gained more immunity than I realized. Still, the venom was more of a dull throb than the rush of flames it had been last time. I ran my tongue over my lower lip, tasting my own blood, but mostly something sharp, metallic, foreign. Venom.

"Of course they will, _preciosa_. I think you'll soon learn, I am excellent at making offers you simply cannot refuse."

There was that smile again. It chilled me. Her eyes were so bright with whatever was running through her mind. I had underestimated who I was dealing with. She was different from James, though I had lumped them together in my head. This was not just a game to Maria, as Jasper kept saying.

There was something so feral, so completely inhuman about her.

Maria tipped her head to the side, motioning toward the main campus.

"Catalina." That was all she said.

The mountain lion was off like a bullet. I hadn't noticed she joined us on the ground. It took me a moment to realize that she was heading for the same building Gunner had class in.

Maria had my number. She always had.

Once my delayed realization set in, I was off. How and why I thought I would beat the mountain lion was beyond me. Even if I did, how would I ward her off? In the moment, none of that crossed my mind. My only thoughts were on my brother.

Behind me, I heard Maria laughing.

I no longer had sight of Catalina as I skidded to a stop at the building doors. I had misjudged the distance, my shoulder slammed off the door frame, jarring me, slowing me down for a moment. I pushed forward, ignoring the pain from bone hitting metal.

I needed to see, at least. I needed to know my brother was okay.

The halls were empty, of course, with classes in session. It was a short run to the classroom door. Blessedly—stupidly—the door was unlocked. I pulled it open with too much force, the door slamming off the wall behind it.

"Maisie?" Gunner had a Calc test. He told me that this morning. I felt eyes on me in that quiet room, but I only cared about one pair. Gunner's eyes were wide and bright with unspoken questions.

"Maisie," his teacher prompted me again, voice sterner this time.

"Um," I desperately searched for Mr. Palmer's name on my sticky note. I got one tiny breath of relief when my eyes landed on it. "Sorry, my shoes are wet from running all around campus. Sign this, please?"

Gunner's eyes were burning a hole in my cheek. I owed him an explanation, but I couldn't give it to him here.

I waited for Mr. Palmer to sign his letter, stuffed it back in the envelope, and hastily left. I made sure the door shut gently, with a soft click, this time.

Hugging the envelope to my chest as if the flimsy paper might protect me, I walked carefully back down the hall. When I peeked through the glass in the door, it became obvious Maria and Catalina were nowhere to be found.

I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or terrified by that fact.

I felt shaky now that the adrenaline had drained from my body. Walking back across campus was slow work. I looked over my shoulder at least a hundred times.

There was a note waiting for me, stuck to the softball compound door.

 _You may choose, preciosa._

I didn't need Maria around to tell me what my options were.

* * *

"I have to."

"No, you don't."

I lolled my head back, so I could look at Jasper better. He was staring resolutely at my ceiling.

"I thought you didn't want this."

"I don't!"

I think I might be a little sad to see those eyes turn red.

"I think you could do it. In June, maybe. After I graduate."

"Maisie, dammit. You know that's not true."

When I licked my lips earlier, my blood didn't even taste like blood. I knew what that tasted like. I had caught enough groundballs to the face to be familiar with it. If I was able to taste the difference, then Jasper surely would, too.

"I have faith in you."

"Don't."

This was the only way it would end. I was sure of it.

"You won't even want it. All I could taste was…venom."

"I'll not have your death on my hands, Maisie."

I sighed, pushing myself upward. Sitting on my bed next to Jasper, I turned a little to look down at him.

"If you won't, then Maria will."


	56. Chapter Fifty-Five

_**-Chapter Fifty-Five-**_

* * *

If Rosalie knew that I had borrowed the Cullens' baseball field for softball practice with Leah, she probably would have had my head. Luckily for all of us, she was still on the opposite coast in New York.

Alice had joined us. She sat on Esme's rock, calling out suggestions.

"Turn yourself three-fourths of an inch inward," Alice instructed me. "It will give you more power behind your swing."

I turned slowly until Alice told me to stop.

Every time Alice had a new tweak, I saw Leah's brow furrow. She wasn't used to the far-away, unfocused look Alice's eyes took on when she was in the future. Of course, Alice was checking every outcome before offering her alterations.

Leah pitched another ball to me, as straight and true as she used to before her shapeshifting genes kicked in. Now, of course, she threw faster than she ever had. I knew she was being mindful of how much muscle she put into the throws—I could hit off her insane fastballs, if I tried, but the last time I had it left my arms and shoulders terribly sore. Carlisle had chastised me for pulling so many muscles and wound athletic tape around me like a mummy's bandages.

I swung, my metal bat making a loud _plink!_ when it connected with Leah's ball. It sailed over Leah's head, just out of her reach. The ball landed and rolled along the ground, losing my momentum I had given it, several yards away.

"That would have been over the fence if you were on the field," Leah pointed out. "You'll be getting the softball scholarship I always wanted at this rate."

I should have been happier about that, but I was barely able to manage a smile.

Jasper was not exactly pleased with me, and he hadn't been since I told him I would give myself to Maria, let her give me a dose of venom capable of transforming me into a vampire, before I would leave that fate to Gunner.

Alice retrieved the ball and dropped it lightly in Leah's hand.

"Or are you hungry?" She asked, her brow furrowing as she looked at the two of us. "It's almost time for you two to have another meal, right?"

The sun was getting low. Just about dinner time for humans, or shapeshifters. _I_ wasn't hungry, but Leah nodded her head emphatically. She liked Alice despite herself, I knew. So when Alice brightened and suggested we not yet end the day, and rather drive to Port Angeles so the two of us could eat, Leah agreed.

"I'll make Gunner drive you back to La Push when we get home," I promised Leah. She blushed while Alice took my bat. Well, her bat, technically. My own bat was no match for Leah's pitching, but this bat was one that Alice's brothers had made. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett made a hobby of creating sportswear that could survive vampire usage.

"Go on ahead to your car, I'll run this back home."

She was gone in a blur.

Leah waited for me to pull my jacket back on before falling in step beside me for the hike back to the Cullens'. For her and Alice, the distance was nothing. I could run faster now, when I needed to, but I had no desire to rush.

"Thanks for saying you'd go," I told Leah as we walked. "This is classic Alice balm."

"Gunner told me about the…mountain lion, was it?" She waited for me to confirm with a nod. "I'm guessing Jasper's not happy."

"I can't." I licked my lips, feeling the skin from Maria's newest scar under my tongue. It had become a habit for me. I found myself unable to find any other words to explain. Leah nodded; she understood. I had told her the full truth, though I was shielding Gunner from it just yet.

"I would do the same for Seth. I _wish_ I had been given the choice to shoulder this burden for both of us. Stupid genes, huh?"

I breathed a sigh of relief that shook in my ribs. "Would it violate the treaty? If Maria were the one?"

Leah shook her head. "No, but…I'm hoping we can find a way to see both of you on the other side of it, still human."

"Me too." I felt tears prick my eyes unbidden. I wicked them away, quickly, with the sleeve of my jacket. "But I'm trying to prepare for the worst. Then I'll be pleasantly surprised if something better happens, right?"

The thought of becoming a vampire made my stomach twist. It was not that I disliked them— _obviously._ But it was not a path I would have chosen for myself. Ever. I loved everything that constituted my humanity. Living in a world where I wouldn't outlive my parents and I would get to see Ava grow up was infinitely more appealing.

If it meant Gunner would get those things in my sacrifice, then I would have offered myself to Maria immediately, if I had known her terms from the start.

"Maisie, I love you, but if you get much more nihilistic, I'll have to start calling you _Bella._ "

"Ew, don't!" Leah's teasing managed to coax out a small, but genuine, smile from me.

"And Alice thinks that softball and dinner will fix it?"

"She just likes to see people happy," I explained. "So she's trying to make me happy, as much as she can."

Leah was quiet for a while, considering this. It was only after a significant pause that she said, "She's a good person."

I bumped Leah with my shoulder, smiling again at her reluctance to admit that Alice could be a _person_. We walked in silence for a long time, and then I felt Leah take my hand. Her skin was warm—almost fever-hot, as was the nature of the Quileute shapeshifters.

"If it all goes south," she said, so softly, punctuating her words by squeezing my hand, "I promise you won't lose him. You'll never lose Gunner."

Squeezing Leah's hand back was the only answer I could give. My throat had given a squeeze, too, cutting off any words I could have hoped to say.

* * *

Jasper and I had a lot of arguments. Dimly, in the more rational part of my mind, I knew this is what Maria wanted. I think Jasper did, too. It was much easier to conquer a force divided, after all. But…both of us were prone to combative nature, so it was no surprise that we fell into it.

"Would you sacrifice Edward or Emmett?" I whisper-shouted. They were almost always whispered arguments, had late at night. I wasn't sleeping much—or well—anyway. My nightmares had shifted. I was no longer running from Maria in them; I was racing her. I never won. She always got to Gunner first, or Catalina did. Watching your brother die just a few feet in front of you night after night doesn't do great things for your sleeping habits.

"Of course not!" Jasper whisper-shouted back. "But you can't just waltz over to her and give yourself up. You have to _try._ "

"Try what? To prolong it? Tell me, honestly. _You_ know her better than any of us. Is she just going to give this up?"

He raked his hand through his hair, disrupting the golden strands of it. This had become such a habit of his, when he was exasperated with me, that I was surprised he had any hair left.

"You have to try to _survive_ it. And no. She won't. She's inexhaustible, once her mind is set."

"Then the only way out is someone's death. Hers or mine, but not Gunner. I will not let it be Gunner."

Carlisle had explained to me that not everyone survived the transformation to become a vampire. It typically took three days. Three days of the venom burning through the person's body, bringing forth all the changes necessary. Sometimes people weren't strong enough, and they died before it could be finished.

I already had Maria's venom in my veins. Really, how much more would it take, at this point? Garrett was surprised I was still standing as a human as it was, though he attributed this fact to the long timeframe between my first and second doses.

"She has doubtless more information about you than you do about her," Jasper argued. "Who knows how long this shapeshifter of hers has been watching you before we noticed?"

"I know more than I did months ago. I know her little army is in Canada and her shapeshifter has no problem killing humans while doing her bidding and I know there's only one way it can end and I know that if I don't show her that _I've_ chosen, she will choose for me. Tell me she won't take Gunner, just to hurt me."

I had him there. We both knew she was too vindictive. She would have us both, if I didn't somehow make it clear that she could have me—and only me.

"Besides, it doesn't have to be her. Carlisle could do it." I would have preferred Jasper be the one, but he had resolutely shut down that train of thought more than once. He hated when I reminded him that asking Carlisle was another way to end this. I knew that…and yet I couldn't stop myself from bringing it up every time we argued.

Though Jasper wouldn't leave me alone at night, sometimes he was so frustrated that he sat brooding in my window seat. Those nights, I went to sleep mad. Not at Jasper; not even at Maria. Mad at myself, because this was exactly what Maria wanted, and I was letting her have her way yet again.

Still, I was so stubborn and resolute that I hardly heard most of Jasper's words, even though I knew that he was speaking logic to me.

* * *

The only time I wasn't actively thinking about Maria was when I was playing softball. Thanks to my venom-enhanced skills—which no one on the team knew about, of course—and Lauren's better than ever pitching, we started the season strong. The Spartans softball team was shaping up to have a good year.

Our season-opening game we won 28-5. The local sports pages lauded mine and Lauren's 'softball field finesse', giving us the credit for the winning game. Jessica, of course, was a little upset.

"Leave some of the limelight for the rest of us, you two," she sniffed at us post-game. Lauren beamed brighter than the stadium lights, though. She was untouchable in this victory.

"I told you that you'd make a comeback." Lauren's smile only grew wider.

"You weren't bad yourself," she said, tossing a bottle of water to me. Just like during the volleyball season, I had played hard. I made sure to control my batting; that had never been my strong suit before. Between Lauren's pitching and my complete disregard toward getting hurt in the name of getting the other team out, our opponents struggled to get the five points they had earned.

"Bet you'll feel it in the morning, though." Jess tipped her head toward my arm, which was scraped from the last dive I had taken.

"I'll live." I shouldered my bag and ducked out of the dugout. A testament to the level of venom in my blood: despite my scrapes and the blood that came with it, neither Jasper nor Alice had been bothered by it. They stayed throughout the game, even when I rose, bloody-armed, with the ball in my glove.

Jasper unburdened me from my bag as soon as I reached the bleachers.

"I'm exhausted," I said without preamble. Despite all our recent arguing, that earned me a chuckle from Jasper.

"Indeed," he agreed with me. "Shall I carry you to your car as well?"

"Oh my God, wait. Could you?"

Bless him, Jasper shifted my bag so he could carry it in one hand. He stooped down a little, so I could put my hands on his shoulders and lift myself up. One of his arms hooked under my leg while I wrapped my own around his neck. Too late, I considered the fact that my scraped arm might bother him, especially with it so close to his face.

"It's okay," he reassured me as soon as I bristled. Jasper was excellent at surmising the thoughts behind my emotions. I realized his voice sounded a little sad. "I'm okay."

If he was sad about this revelation, I was devastated. My Jasper had always been the member of his family with the weakest control where human blood was concerned. Here my bloody arm was, inches from his mouth, and it gave him no reaction.

"Someone's spoiled!" I heard Ty's voice, followed by a catcall. He and Mike were still in the stands, waiting for Lauren and Jess. I wasn't entirely in the mood for my friends at the moment. When I flipped them off, they dissolved into laughter.

Much later, he would explain that it was almost like shapeshifter blood.

"I _never_ have a desire for the blood of a shapeshifter. Their blood, your blood…they both smell so markedly _not_ human that it doesn't…agitate my instincts, I suppose you could say."

"I'm more vampire than human at this point," I lamented as Jasper wove his fingers into my hair. I felt him plant a kiss to the top of my head.

"Not so." He reminded me of my own enduring humanity by pressing my own hand flat to my chest, where I could feel my heart beat against it. I twisted my hand in his, gripping onto his fingers. "I'll never have that again."

Even with Jasper pushing reassurance at me, my mood still bordered on hopeless.

"Will you still love me, after?"

I had no idea where the words came from, at first. They burst from my mouth with a life of their own, but they also opened a floodgate within me. I was crying— _sobbing_ —before I knew it.

Jasper drew me into him instantly. Vaguely, I felt him wrap his arms tightly around me. I buried my face into his shirt, the fabric already sticking to my tear-damp cheek. I wasn't sure why the question broke me the way it did, but damn. Did it break me.

He held me and rocked me, though. Distantly, I heard Jasper whispering to me soothingly, but mostly all I heard was my own hitching breath. It took quite some time before Jasper's soothing, emotionally and physically, took hold and began to have an effect on me.

"Deep breaths," Jasper coached me. I filled my shaking lungs as best as I could. Only after several attempts did my breathing even out. When it did, Jasper stuck a finger under my chin, guiding my face upward. I met his gaze through blurry vision, thanks to the tears still leaking from my eyes.

"Oh, my Maisie." That was all he said. Jasper shifted forward, intent on kissing me, I was sure, when both of us froze.

There is a very unmistakable scream that a mountain lion is able to make. It is strangled and shrill and makes shivers run down your back. There is something about it that latches into a primal fear deep in your soul and twists, making you go cold with fear.

Catalina, I was learning, was not only Maria's spy but also an opportunist. As was her mother. Was it any coincidence that my parents weren't home, away for the evening at Ava's kindergarten reading night?

"Gunner," I said immediately, disentangling myself from Jasper. I'm not even sure how many stairs I skipped as I flew down them, but I'm sure I made record time. Jasper was still faster than me, of course, but I wasn't far behind him.

My brother, my stupidly brave brother, was having a stare down with Catalina near the end of our driveway. She was across the road, but ready to leap into action, her muscles obviously tensed and coiled tight.

"Gunner!" I yelled this time, causing him to snap his head toward me. "Run!"

I had lost sight of Jasper, but that was because he had run into the forest. Maria was there, I was sure, out of view but watching the show.

Whether Gunner really was reacting as if his shoes were made of concrete or if he seemed painfully slow in my fear, I couldn't say. There was a dreadful moment when I thought he might not move, but then he turned on his heel and began to sprint toward me.

The only problem was, so did Catalina. A regular mountain lion would have been fast enough, but this shapeshifter cleared the road in one leap. I started to run again, too. It was a race, suddenly, who would reach my brother first.

Maria's laugh rang from the trees.

I curved to the side, stooping low when I got closer, throwing my weight forward to tackle Gunner and send us both to the ground. Thank God I did. Catalina sailed over us; she had pounced at the same time I had gone for the tackle. Her momentum sent her a few feet over us. When her paws hit the ground, she rounded to face us, screaming again.

"Call her off. Now."

Never had I heard Jasper's voice so dark, carrying with it a guttural growl that rivaled Catalina's. Maria laughed again, apparently immune to the gravity of the situation. I checked to make sure Gunner was okay before I looked up.

Jasper held Maria so tightly by the arm that I could see her skin cracking around his fingers. He had positioned himself, and Maria by force, between us and Catalina.

"Sit, _mi querida_. I am surprised, too, that you were bested by this human girl."

Just around Maria, I saw Catalina sit back on her haunches, but she did not relax.

"We grow bored, _mi amor_. I gave your human girl conditions, and yet, she dawdles in fulfilling them. Your life, her brother's life, your own life…they matter to her less than I originally thought, no?"

For an immortal, Maria was severely lacking in patience.

"It's barely been a month!" I protested. Gunner tried to sit up beside me, but I pushed him back down. The way his hazel eyes widened made his surprise obvious. In typically brother fashion, Gunner was no stranger to tossing me around and practicing wrestling moves on me. Never had he known any of my retaliations to be fruitful. This strength of mine was new and alien to him.

"Is that…?" Gunner whispered to me. If I wouldn't let him see, he was at least going to get his answers from me. I nodded, hardly looking away from Maria. "Fuck."

She turned her head, canting it to the side as she looked at me. "Barely a month, _preciosa?_ I am aware. I can tell the passage of time, though it has scarcely held meaning for me for decades and decades and decades yet. I had judged, wrongly it seems, that you might want this all resolved sooner."

Jasper had her _right there_. Why wasn't he _doing_ anything?

I could feel his anger. It was hot and heavy, blanketing over me. Apparently, Maria felt it as well. She turned her head upwards and gave Jasper a pretty smile.

"I'll bet you want my head for this," she all but cooed. "I'm sorry to say I cannot give you the satisfaction, _mi amor._ "

There was a rustling from the trees. One by one, people—vampires, newborn vampires—began to step forward from the forest.

"Actually," Maria's big red eyes flicked to Catalina. "I've grown entirely bored. Haven't you, _bebe_?"

The mountain lion nodded her big head.

"The game is over, _preciosa._ You choose tonight."

* * *

 **A/N:** I did not intend this to be a cliffhanger, truly! However, as I have admitted before, action is something I _**struggle**_ to write. I wanted to get an update out, but I am having a bit of a hard time with what comes after the closing scene of this chapter. I am trying to do it justice. I hope I can write something to make up for ending this chapter on a cliffhanger.

So. If you couldn't guess, Maisie isn't in the greatest place, emotionally or mentally at the moment. I wanted to show that, yet not drag it out. We will see more of that in coming scenes; it's only been introduced here.

I also wanted Maria to have an ambush of sorts. When the Cullens went up against Victoria in the canon, she was rage-driven (like Maria) but inexperienced (unlike Maria). She didn't win all those victories prior to Jasper's transformation, or after his departure, but being mediocre at what she does.

Thank you-truly, deeply-for all the support and love this story has been shown. It warms my heart to know that so many people have enjoyed something I have had a blast writing. I so look forward to hearing from everyone as this story reaches it's climax and draws to a close!


	57. Chapter Fifty-Six

_**-Chapter Fifty-Six-**_

* * *

I froze. I didn't want to, I didn't mean to, but I did. The least I can say is that I stayed in place, crouched defensively over Gunner. But my insides turned to ice and I couldn't look away from Maria's smug face.

Gunner was gripping my arm so tightly in his own fear that I was sure there would be a bracelet of bruises left behind.

"Maisie," he whispered to me. That one word, my own name, broken and hitching in his voice.

And then everything exploded around us. Jasper and Maria were both knocked to the ground—though I was sure Jasper was only collateral damage. Peter hit them so hard that there was a loud, metallic sounding crash that resounded through our yard. Kate blurred into vision behind Peter, pausing just long enough to sink her hand into Catalina's fur, delivering a shock that crumpled the mountain lion on the ground.

It clicked in my mind what they were doing for us. I hauled Gunner to his feet, nodding toward our house.

" _Run_ ," I told him. "As fast as we can."

I think I dragged him more so than led him. It didn't matter; I got him inside, slamming the door behind us and locking it. I knew it wouldn't do much—if any—good, but I pounded the keypad to activate the alarm system.

Honeybun and Pepper lifted their heads, giving cautious wags of their tails. They were laying together on the living room floor. I had forgotten about them.

"Put them in their crates," I told Gunner. Finally, I got a good look at his face, and I realized that there were tears running down his cheeks. But he followed my command, taking each dog gently by the collar to move them toward their crates. He pulled their blankets down low over them. Usually, they only went in their crates when it was storming. This, I figured, was a storm in and of itself.

If I didn't know better, I would think it was thundering outside. I had seen enough of the Cullen brothers' roughhousing to know that the booming crashes were the sounds of vampire bodies colliding with one another.

Gunner's back shook as he took a deep breath. He might have been about to say something to me, but I grabbed his when there was suddenly a pounding at the door. My heart immediately matched the fast, hard tempo of the knocking.

"Maisie!" Leah's voice this time. "Let me in! Hurry!"

"You're gonna make it through this night," I told Gunner, before running to the door. "Just do what we say, okay?"

I opened the front door and pulled Leah inside. Through the narrow gap, I could see that the Quileute wolves had joined. I thought I saw a glimpse of Edward's copper hair, shining as he flew by, but I wasn't certain.

"What's going on?" Gunner asked, his voice breaking over every word.

"The good news is that newborns are as dumb as Jasper said." _As dumb as Jasper said?_ When had Jasper given the wolf pack a newborn vampire lesson? "The less good news is that the stupid mountain lion exists."

As if she knew we were talking about her inside, Catalina's scream pierced the air again.

"She makes it hard to get close to this Maria. Now that she knows Kate can shock her, she's avoiding her like the plague. Our only advantage on either of them is Edward reading their minds, but I swear Maria is as fast as Edward is. The mountain lion, too."

Of course, that's how our luck _would_ fall. Edward was the fastest Cullen, and if Maria and Catalina could match his speed, that wasn't great for us. Not to mention, the family was two members short with Rosalie and Emmett far away in New York.

I had been peeking out the window, trying to see what was going on, but the yard was clear now. The others must have drawn the fighting away from the house. I turned back in time to catch Leah drying Gunner's face.

She held his jaw in one hand, wiping away his tears with the other. They were almost exactly the same height, so it was effortless for Leah to meet his eyes. I watched her mouth moving, but I had no idea what she was whispering to him. A ringing had taken up residence in my ears.

"We're not staying here," Leah said, probably loudly, but it sounded muffled to my ears. "We need to leave _now_."

Gunner had his phone in his hand, his thumbs typing furiously. Leah must have told him to tell our parents some kind of excuse to make up for our absence.

I think Leah must have asked me more than once for my car keys, but I didn't hear her until I felt her hand grip my shoulder.

"Maisie." I was both amazed and startled at the way she was able to keep her cool. "Get your car keys. We're leaving."

Mechanically, I did as she told me, going up the stairs to my room to pull the keys out of my backpack. I gripped them so tightly in my hand as I went back down that I could feel the metal cutting into my hand. I wore the imprint on my skin when I dropped them into Leah's waiting hand.

She rushed both of us outside and into my car. I tried to let Gunner have the front seat, but he insisted on taking the back. I shouldn't have been surprised. Last time there was a newborn on the loose while Gunner was in my car, it hadn't ended well for him.

"Where are we going?" He asked, once Leah had peeled out of the driveway. Leah turned south, speeding past the Cullens' house and out of town.

"Away, mostly. Carlisle didn't tell me where to go, only to avoid the fighting at all costs."

Carlisle. Jasper. They had been planning more than I realized. I watched the trees blurring away through the window, trying to calm myself down.

I didn't even realize, until I turned to look at him in the back seat, that Gunner was sitting with a shotgun laying across his lap. I raised an eyebrow at Leah.

"It worked for you once, right?" She asked. "I thought it might not be a bad touch."

I opened my mouth to answer her when Leah took a sudden and sharp swerve on an otherwise straight road. Gunner hit his door, grunting when his shoulder made contact. Her swerve had been to avoid hitting a newborn, a girl with wild auburn hair and bright red eyes. She smiled and waved at us, overly confident. I just caught the image of Garrett slamming into her in the rearview mirror.

When I checked on Gunner in the back seat, I saw that his face had blanched, making his hair and eyebrows appear entirely too red. His hands gripped the shotgun like his life depended on it—apparently, it very well might.

"Leah," I breathed more than said, trying to get her attention without also drawing Gunner's. Her eyes flickered to mine. I canted my head ever so slightly toward my brother, and Leah nodded.

I knew she understood me. We were in agreement. Nothing would happen to him, if we had anything to say about it.

* * *

Leah settled on La Push as the best place for us. It would be hard, she figured, for either Maria or any of her forces to make it to their land. Plus, she added, the younger wolves had stayed behind to protect the reservation if need be.

We took winding back roads just out of town to get to La Push, with the lights off. Night had fully fallen by the time Leah pulled into her own driveway. The Clearwater how was empty.

"Where's your mom?" I asked. Sue knew about the Quileute shapeshifters; she had witnessed Leah's first phase, after all. That meant she knew about the vampires, too, by default.

"At Billy's. That's Jake's dad. It's only a precaution." _Because the newborns aren't going to make it this far_ , the hard set of Leah's jaw seemed to say.

We didn't turn the lights on. I asked Leah for some of Seth's clothes, and I made Gunner change into them.

"When I learned about vampires and James was after me," I explained to both Gunner and Leah, "Jasper had me wear Alice's clothing. The scent threw him off. I think it would be way more effective with newborns."

"Y'all smell different?" Gunner directed his question at Leah, his eyebrows drawing together. Leah rolled her eyes.

"Supposedly. I think Rosalie has referred to us as 'wet dogs' before, right Maisie? Vampires stink worse, though. No offense."

I shrugged. "The point is, only Maria and Catalina have gotten a good look at you, Gun. Wearing Seth's clothes should throw anyone else off."

That was the extent of my planning. Seth burst through the door, noticeably only wearing a ragged pair of shorts on his otherwise bare body, his eyes wide and wild.

"Leah," the syllables of her name tumbled out of Seth's mouth in a huge rush. "We need you. Now."

The sigh that came out of Leah sounded so deep that it likely started in her toes. This _definitely_ wasn't what was anticipated.

"Stay inside!" She told us over her shoulder. Leah followed Seth out the door so quickly that neither of them bothered to close the door. I went to it, just barely catching the end of their phasing as I pushed the door shut and locked it.

Gunner was pale again. I picked up the shotgun, which he had left propped against the wall by the stairs when he went to change into Seth's clothing.

"Stay with me," I whispered to him. He followed me, like I asked, and for the first time I realized how loud my brother's footsteps were.

Going upstairs would do no good. I had watched enough horror and suspense movies to know that's how you got trapped and met your death. We would stay downstairs, I decided. But the living room was no good, either. Too many windows.

The Clearwater house, at least the downstairs, was the living room, the kitchen, and a laundry room at the back with a door to the outside. There was only one window in the kitchen, so I led Gunner in there and pulled the curtains closed.

He sank into one of the chairs at the kitchen table, cupping his face in his hands. I moved to stand beside him, running my fingers through his hair the same way Mom often did. My other hand held the shotgun close to me, read for the worst.

It was hard for me to hear anything over the pounding of my own heart. But after a few minutes, I _thought_ I heard footsteps. Animalesque footsteps. I wasn't sure until Gunner lifted his head, his eyes searching mine. I nodded. Then shook my head, pulling m hand from his hair to raise a finger to my lips.

 _Stay quiet._

I knew how easy it would be for Catalina to find me. All she had to do was search for someone who smelled similar to her mother, after all. If the heavy breathing and sniffing sounds coming from outside were any indication, that was exactly what was happening.

My body started to go cold with the fear of having been so easily found. There was a mewing sound. Again, Gunner grabbed my arm, his fear channeling to me through that connection.

A second mew. A third. Obviously a call to arms of sorts. A fourth—cut in half by the growl of a wolf. Someone's body hit the outer wall of the Clearwater house with enough force to make the inside shake. My knees went weak with relief that we were not alone.

But that relief was short-lived. I knew, from all of Jasper's showing off, the true strength of vampires. I knew that locking the door behind us was literally nothing in the grand scheme of vampire defenses. So, I suppose I shouldn't have been so surprised when Maria wrenched the door open to let herself in.

" _Preciosa_ ," she called to me. I moved forward immediately, putting myself between Gunner and the open doorway that led from the kitchen to the living room. "You are better at the games than I expected. But not good enough."

Her voice preceded her. Maria took her time moving through the living room. I wanted to tell Gunner to run, but the snarls from outside let me know a fight was still going on. I was damned if I kept him with me and damned if I sent him outside. Instead, I raised the gun, aiming at the doorway.

James had taught me that bullets didn't slow vampires in the slightest. I took my shot when Maria appeared in the doorway, anyway. She didn't move to dodge, nor did she flinch when the bullet lodged itself in her chest, fracturing her skin all around it.

Gunner gasped behind me, the sound of it melding into my pumping the gun for another shot and Maria's chaotic laugh. I could hardly hear either. Shooting the gun in such tight quarters as that little kitchen had set my ears to ringing again; I was sure Gunner's were the same.

"You're smarter than that, _preciosa_." She plucked the spent bullet from her chest, dropping it on the floor. It had cracked enough of her skin to reveal muscle, bleached and bloodless, underneath.

Maria took a step forward and I shot again, hitting the same spot. The cracks grew wider, revealing more muscle and a glimpse of what I thought was her breastplate. I was aiming for her heart, though I knew it did me little good.

Blood did not flow through a vampire's veins. They had none of their own, and no heartbeat. What they _did_ have was venom, which did not flow, but apparently did reside in their skin, between their skin and muscle. I hadn't noticed it with James—but he had been farther away from me, and Emmett had made quick work of him. Maria was much closer. I could see it seeping around the meaningless wound.

A raise of Maria's hand caught me off-guard. In it, she held a scrap of fabric that I immediately recognized as coming from the shirt Jasper had been wearing. The edges were torn and charred. The sight of it made me falter, lowering the gun slightly. A sick smile twisted Maria's face.

"I thought you might like to have it. A momento. I saved it for you."

"No." My voice didn't sound like my own. " _No._ "

I must have nearly fell. My thigh slammed into the corner of the table, the bite of it bringing me back to the scene around me. My hand reached forward, gun temporarily forgotten, to reach for that piece of Jasper's shirt.

Gunner, though. I had forgotten him _entirely_ in that moment. Until he took the gun from me, shooting over top of the table at the mark I had already left. A third bullet tore into the hole left by the previous. The fractures in Maria's skin began to stretch farther, up her neck and over her shoulders.

I was close enough to the muzzle of the gun for it to steal my hearing almost entirely, to feel the heat of the shot. I flinched away from it—and from Maria, by default. This was what Gunner had been going for, I had no doubt.

"You're both too brave for your own good. Would that I could add the two of you to my forces, but, unfortunately, I can already tell there would be too much mutiny."

Gunner didn't have the strength to stop her when Maria knocked the gun from his hands with a flick of her wrist. She reached for him, and I slammed my shoulder into her, into her chest. The ragged edges of her skin were sharp and ungiving under my own, cutting through my sleeve. It was enough, my blow, to move her back a few steps and give me more space to move between the two of them.

"See what I mean? Useless. I've no use for loyalties that don't lie first and foremost with me."

"You're not going to touch him," I told Maria. "Whatever you've taken from me already, you're not taking my brother."

She smiled at me and reached for me. It was cliché, but I tilted my head back and shook my hair back, exposing my neck. Even if it meant living an endless life without Jasper, as that piece of his shirt was surely meant to tell me, I would choose it over condemning my brother to a fate that wasn't his.

Perhaps it would have worked, my offering, if it hadn't been for the fact that Gunner was there. I didn't anticipate what he did next. The gun abandoned, he climbed onto the table behind me. At least, I think he must have. My back was to him, but that's the only way I could figure he could get the height to jump heavily into my side, knocking both of us to the ground.

Maria may have told Catalina earlier that the games were over, but I should have known by now not to trust her words. When I fell, I hit my head against the tile of the kitchen floor. The resulting pain made me slow to react, and I was not nearly fast enough to stop it when Maria grabbed Gunner's arm.

She pushed his sleeve up, turning his hand to expose the flesh on the inside of his wrist, and sunk her teeth into it. Gunner's scream of pain was instant and motivating. I landed a solid kick in Maria's stomach, knocking her away from him.

"I would like to see you fix _this_ , _preciosa_. Either he turns, or you just might. Or perhaps you both will."

I wasn't listening to her. I heard her, but I didn't comprehend. She didn't move towards us again.

I pulled Gunner toward me, forcing him to give me his bitten arm, though he was crumpling into himself in his pain. There was only one way I could think of to get the venom _out_. I had no knife to cut the bitemark further and force it out, which only meant I would have to drink it, like you might try to draw the venom from a snake bite.

Luckily, I was wearing a belt around the waist of my dress. I pulled it off now, drawing it tightly around Gunner's bicep in a makeshift tourniquet. I only knew Maria was still in the room thanks to her giggling as she watched the struggle.

"I'm sorry," I told Gunner before I sunk my own teeth into his wrist, forcing it to bleed more. I wasn't sure what, exactly, I was apologizing for most. My brother's blood, thick and hot and slick, filled my mouth. I could taste the venom in it, sharp and metallic, just like I had been able to taste Maria's venom in my own blood when she cut my lip.

Without thinking, I made myself swallow back the first mouthful. I spit the next pull, still tainted with venom, onto the kitchen floor.

Not because I thought better of the fact that I had just swallowed venom.

The first swallow had been a reflex, and instinct. To my horror, I _wanted_ to swallow the second mouthful. I knew, in that moment, exactly how many changes the venom Maria had injected had wrought inside me.

"That's rather wasteful, _preciosa_ ," Maria chided me, tutting her tongue. But I spit a second time, a third, Gunner's blood staining the tile more each time. Five mouthfuls before I could no longer taste the venom.

"Does it burn anymore?" I asked Gunner. He was pale, so pale, _too pale_ , but whether it was from fear or blood loss, I couldn't say. He shook his head slowly at me, his eyes distant and dim, as if he were answering a casual question from a stranger. But he didn't shy away from me when I moved forward to pull the belt from his arm, or when I used the ripped fabric of my own clothes to fashion a tight bandage around his wrist.

Maria's deep sigh across the room drew my attention to her. The bullet holes were already healing, her skin stitching itself back together. I felt sick to my stomach, though it was impossible to say if it was from the venom and blood I had ingested, my newfound repulsion with myself, or this night in general.

I knew only one thing for sure. I would not leave Gunner.

"You are just so _difficult_ ," Maria's exasperation was getting to her. The collection she had over herself was cracking just like her skin had before. Her eyes had turned wild. _"Why won't you just do what you're supposed to?!"_

"She's never been good at listening," Gunner offered in his distant, shocked voice. His skin under my hand was cool enough to let me know I was right; there was no venom left in his veins.

Maria gave an exasperated sort of wail and stalked toward me. She was coming unhinged in her anger, that was easy to see.

 _I'm a goner,_ I thought. _This is it._

Gunner and I were still on the ground. I hadn't realized just how much of his blood I was wearing. When Maria reached for me, I pushed helplessly at her thighs, my own strength apparently having abandoned me. It was only when I saw the bloodied handprints that I left behind on her white skirt that I realized how Gunner and I looked.

And only then did I remember something Jasper had told me, about Maria's superstitious nature.

 _She hates to get blood on her clothes._

The screech that came out of Maria when her anger with me hit that fever pitch was otherworldly. It froze both Gunner and I…and Peter, Garrett, and Edward, who had appeared in the doorway behind her.

None of them were breathing, I could tell from their still shoulders and chests, and I was thankful for that. Maria swiped toward me again, her hand becoming curled and claw-like in its movement.

Edward, bless him, took the opportunity to pin her arms at her side and pull her backward.

"Take her outside." He handed a kicking Maria off to Peter. "Take her to Jasper."

I deflated a little at his name, knowing he was very much alive, unlike Maria wanted me to believe. Peter and Garrett disappeared with Maria while Edward sunk to his knees beside us, reaching for Gunner's other wrist, the one that was still intact.

"What happened here?" Edward asked me. His voice was strained, I knew, from his efforts to not breathe in the scent of Gunner's blood.

"She bit me," Gunner said woodenly. "But Maisie…"

Both of them flicked their eyes to me, gold and hazel. No one had to say a word to know what I had done.

"You're lucky she did." Those were the last words Edward managed. I knew the blood was getting to him, even just the sight, but he still took Gunner's pulse and listened to his heart.

Edward typed a note to me on his phone and passed it to me.

 _You saved him. But he needs more blood, soon._

I nodded.

 _Can you take him to Carlisle?_ It was faster for me to think my questions rather than type them back to Edward. _Or should I?_

 _Leah's coming. She can._

Sure enough, there was Leah and Seth, coming in from the backdoor. She, too, fell to her knees. Leah was bruised and bleeding herself, as was Seth. But she only had eyes for Gunner, pushing his hair back from his forehead and murmuring to him, asking him if he was okay.

He leaned into her touch, eyes threatening to drift closed. I reached out and pulled on his shirt, jerking him a little until his eyes opened.

"Keep him awake," I told Leah. "And take him to Carlisle. Edward said he needs more blood."

Edward pressed his phone into my hand again. _Carlisle should be back at the house by now. He has some blood there. He was keeping it in his office, in case, for you._ _He can do it there._

"Take him to the Cullen house. You have my keys still, right?"

Leah nodded. She leaned forward, kissing my cheek where it was still clean.

"You did good," she whispered to me. "We'll take care of him."

Gunner refused to let Seth carry him, though they compromised on Seth at least supporting him. I sighed in relief, watching all of them go.

"It's over?" I asked Edward. Only now that Gunner was gone did he breathe. I was in no danger. If my blood no longer tempted Jasper, it surely wouldn't bother Edward.

"Yes. There was one newborn, a young girl named Jasmine, who defected. She helped us." Edward pulled me to my feet and led me to the sink. He ran the water until it turned warm and then pulled my hands beneath it, helping me scrub off Gunner's blood.

"I hope y'all didn't hurt her."

"No," he promised. "That's why we need to clean you up. She wouldn't be able to handle this, and I don't think Jasper would be too happy with me if you survived otherwise unscathed only to die at the very end."

Edward washed my hands and face for me before adding, "Besides, Jasper's waiting for you."

My eyes flicked to the piece of his shirt on the ground. Maria had dropped. "She tried to make me think he was dead."

"He's very much alive," Edward reassured me. "With a few new scars added to the collection. But alive."

I laughed. There was no reason for it, nothing was funny, expect for the relief of it all. That laugh turned hysterical, and it took me a few minutes to get it under control. Edward smirked at me all the while. Somehow, I knew he was feeling that way, too.

I was instructed to change clothes, too. Mine were torn and bloodied. I put them into a trash bag to throw away and went through Leah's clothes while Edward cleaned the kitchen. I pulled on a pair of Leah's leggings, knowing that her jeans were hopeless, and a sweater than I'm sure was cropped on her but fit me perfectly.

The adrenaline of the night was leaving me. My stomach still hurt. My body ached, my head was pounding. It was all I could do to shuffle my feet behind Edward as I followed him into the night.

Outside, the world had no right to be as unchanged as it was. There was no outwardly different appearance to anything, even though I knew in my core that this night had changed everything.

"What time is it?" I asked Edward. Though he had given me his phone earlier, I hadn't checked the time.

"Just after ten. Ali's confident you'll both be home in time for curfew with your parents. Carlisle should be sewing up Gunner's wrist by now."

I wondered, absently, who had done more damage. Me or Maria?

We stood in the cold night for a few moments, waiting. Edward left as soon as Jasper appeared at the end of the Clearwater driveway, affording us some privacy.

It felt like it had been several lifetimes since I had seen him last. I ran to him.

He caught me in his, arms and I slumped against him. The weight of the night caught up to me. Tears began to run down my face, making my cheek stick to his chest, which was bare. He must have lost his shirt somewhere in the fighting, which explained how Maria got a scrap of it.

Neither of us said a word. Jasper cradled my head against him, curving himself around me. I clung to him tightly, as if pressing myself to him so seamlessly would erase everything that had happened that night.

Slowly, my leftover fear and exhaustion subsided. I was imbued with relief and warmth and love. Where my own ended and Jasper's began, I couldn't say. Our emotions flowed and melded together, creating a haven of sorts for the time being.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Guys. I did it. I wrote the chapter.

This is not the final chapter, but it was the climactic chapter, and the one that I struggled the most with. I hope it doesn't disappoint, because I am my own biggest critic and I actually don't hate it.

There are some loose ends to tie up. How does the treaty with the pack change, after such a colossal undertaking working together was? Who's Jasmine? Is Maria dead or simply defeated? What will happen with Maisie?

These things will be addressed soon. I am just so happy this behemoth of a chapter is finished. I'll even tell you how I did it. I saw on Instagram a writing tip to write in comic sans font if you have writer's block and I thought _Pfff. That will never work._

But then I did it. And y'all. Did it ever work. I wrote the whole thing in one sitting. Comic sans is apparently magical.


	58. Chapter Fifty-Seven

**_-Chapter Fifty-Seven-_**

* * *

Before Jasper took me home with him, he took me to the driftwood beach. We had no car, but I had no problem settling onto his back. I ran my fingers against his shoulders and collarbones and chest while he carried me. I felt like I needed to reassure myself he was real and solid beneath me.

The night air was cold, especially in the wind Jasper created as he ran. I tucked my head into the crook of his shoulder against it. I was pretty sure Jasper was running faster than he ever had before. His steps only slowed once we reached the edge of the beach, where the road gave way to sand.

"Peter watched the fire for me while I was getting you," he explained to me. I could see the blue flames of a driftwood fire flickering down the coast. "He made sure it stayed alive long enough."

After James, Jasper had made sure that I didn't witness any of the disposal that came along with killing a vampire. This time, though, he led me right to the scene. I slid down from his back, fitting myself against his side instead. I didn't ask any questions. I knew what was coming.

At first, my mind didn't—couldn't—make sense of what it was seeing. I felt a primal fear rise within me when I realized I was looking at the dismembered pieces of a body. Maria's body. The fear subsided with the realization that she was dead, and things were over. The nightmare was over.

My eyes rove over everything, taking in the stump of a neck, how her hands and head were noticeably missing. One arm—the one still connected—thrown over her dress, stained with Gunner's blood. Seeing my own handprints on her dress brought me back to that moment and the feel of my brother's blood in my mouth.

I was so sick at the memory of myself and how I wanted to keep drinking his blood that I turned away from Jasper and threw up. He caught my hair up for me, so that it didn't get dirty…or dirtier, I should say. Edward had told me I had blood in my hair already, too, but I hadn't had time to wash it in Leah's sink like I had my hands.

"Maisie," Jasper's voice swam to me, panicked. And why wouldn't it be? I had just puked up blood that I was sure he could smell wasn't mine.

"It's Gunner's." I told him, my voice scratching against my throat. "I drank Gunner's blood."

When I looked at the ground, I realized I had thrown up the venom, too. It shimmered within Gunner's blood as it both sunk into the sand.

"What? Why did you do that?" I would have thought that he would be able to smell the venom, too. But then I realized he was more than likely holding his breath.

"Maria bit him. I didn't want him to turn. It wasn't his choice."

"So you what? Drank his blood until it was clean?"

"No, I only swallowed the first mouthful. I spit all the rest out." When I peeked up at Jasper, he was shaking his head.

"Maisie," he said my name again, and I couldn't give a name to the emotion I heard there.

"I know. I'm an idiot, but the good news is I don't think I'm going to puke again."

I sat on the pier, letting the cold air off the ocean wash over me, while Jasper burned the rest of Maria's body. The popping sound it made, and the sickly-sweet smell that invaded the wind from the fire, were both things that I was sure would be burned into my memory. I kept my eyes on the stars, refusing to look behind me.

I didn't chance a single look until I felt Jasper's hand on my shoulder.

"It's really over now?" I asked, tipping my head backward to look at him.

"She can't ever hurt you again," he promised. I turned to him, letting him take my hand and pull me to my feet. Only then, when all was right in our world again, did Jasper kiss me. Had I not been so exhausted with relief, I might have been more self-conscious about the fact that I had thrown up not even an hour ago.

But as things stood, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back like I thought I might never get the chance to again. Which, to be fair, I thought I wouldn't not much earlier in that night.

* * *

Carlisle had already given Gunner a dose of blood to replace what I had drained from him and stitched up his wrist by the time we got to the Cullen house. Still awfully pale, Gunner was asleep on one of the couches, his head cradled in Leah's lap. He held onto her hand even in his sleep, his stretched-out arm making it easy for me to see the bandages Carlisle had wound around his wrist.

I touched his forehead, having a hard time despite myself believing that he was no longer in danger. He was warm, but not feverish, and the relief that washed over me from this small fact was almost enough to make my knees give out. Carefully, I reached over him to hug Leah.

"I have to take him home eventually," I whispered to her. "Our parents will be expecting us."

"Alice already disabled the alarm system. I'll help you get him in before curfew."

"Stay with him. Jasper can sneak you out before morning."

She smiled a watery kind of smile at my suggestion and nodded her head. Someone—Esme, I would bet—had laid a blanket over Gunner. I tucked it around him a little tighter before I was, very suddenly, lifted off the ground.

"Maisie!" Emmett's voice boomed in my ear. "You _cannot_ have adventures that end _before_ I get back in town _ever_ again!"

He punctuated his words by shaking me around every so often. I giggled despite myself and shushed him, gesturing toward Gunner.

"Oh, he's not gonna wake up for a while. Carlisle gave him some damn good drugs, apparently. He's been out since Carlisle finished stitching him up."

"I wouldn't shake her," I heard Jasper's voice from above. Looking over Emmett's shoulder, I could see that Jasper had put on a new sweater. "She threw up not even an hour ago."

"Gross," Emmett twisted up his face and dropped me, unceremoniously, to my feet. He left me alone, then, running up the stairs and lobbing Jasper with questions such as _Where's Eddy?_ and _You know it's your duty as my brother to fill me in on all the action, right?_

Emmett was such a huge presence, both in size and personality, that I didn't see Rosalie at first. She glided forward from the back wall, where she had been gazing out the window. Though Emmett had been clueless, Rosalie must have talked to either Esme or Carlisle.

She took my arm lightly in her hand, steering me toward one of the armchairs. Rosalie pushed me down gently, so that I took a seat on the ottoman. She sat behind me in the armchair, and her fingers started to comb through my hair.

"Esme is helping Carlisle clean up. Venom thins the blood, so your brother bled a lot even with all your work. Edward and Alice took that newborn girl to meet up with Peter and the others, to make sure there's no stragglers left behind. The…wolves…are helping, too."

That last bit was directed over my head, to Leah. I don't think Rosalie's pause was lost on either of us, but Leah only nodded. When Rosalie was pleased with her detangling efforts, she began French braiding my hair down my back.

"I would imagine you don't want your parents to see all the blood in your hair," she told me, though I asked no questions about her oddly affectionate actions. Rosalie braided slowly, hiding away the bloodstained strands. Her hands in my hair relaxed me and made my eyelids feel heavy as a wave of sleepiness overtook me.

We were all idly listening to Jasper fill Emmett in—except Gunner, of course. True to Emmett's words, he hadn't stirred once, even when Emmett let loose his booming laugh.

"So, what I'm gathering here, is that this was Gunner's fault because he was doing chores?"

"The boy didn't even serpentine, okay? Like…I didn't realize he has no survival instincts." I wasn't even bothering to keep my eyes open anymore. My voice sounded slurred with sleepiness even to myself, but Emmett must have understood me, because he laughed again. I heard Leah laughing, too.

Sleep nearly had me until someone—it turned out to be Garrett—opened the front door in what might have been the _loudest way possible._ I think her might have hit the wall with the door, or maybe it only seemed so loud because it startled me awake.

At the same time that Garrett and the others came in, Esme and Carlisle emerged from his office. Despite the cold night, Esme flitted around the room and opened some of the windows to diffuse the strong scent of bleach that came with opening the office door.

"Seems we've all been doing clean up! Come morning, no one who doesn't need to will have any idea what has taken place this night." Garrett, more so than any of the others, sometimes worded sentences in ways that revealed his age. He was also almost louder than Emmett, and yet, Gunner kept sleeping.

Whatever drugs Carlisle had given him must have been glorious.

Garrett led the way into the house, with Kate close behind. Peter and Charlotte came next, then Alice, trailed by a girl I hadn't seen before, with Edward finishing out their little scouting party. She must have been the Jasmine that Edward had mentioned earlier. I wondered where Maria had stolen her from.

He had described her as a 'young girl', but I guessed she was around my age. About the same height as Esme, if you didn't count her glorious curls, which she had piled on top of her head. Her newborn eyes were bright against her dark skin.

I didn't get a chance to talk to her, though. Rosalie had finished braiding my hair and Jasper had come downstairs. He lifted Gunner's sleeping form off the couch effortlessly and motioned with his head for Leah to follow.

"It's almost midnight," he reminded me. Curfew for both Gunner and me.

"Bring Cinderella back tomorrow," Emmett called after us. "I wanna hear her version of things, too!"

At the door, Carlisle pressed a pill bottle into my hand. "Antibiotics. Just in case. You managed to clean his blood, but that's still not a reason to neglect to cover every concern."

Carlisle's golden eyes searched over my face, one eyebrow quirking upward. I knew he was asking, without actually saying the words, if I was okay. But I only gave Carlisle as much of a smile as I could and followed Leah outside.

Obviously, it was a short drive back to our house. I let us inside without tripping the alarm, thanks to Alice. Quietly, but also so quickly that they were a total blur, Jasper carried Gunner to his room. I nodded toward them so Leah would follow. When I passed out parents' room on the way to mine, I stopped and knocked softly.

Dad, I knew, would be dead to the world. He had always been a heavy sleeper. But Mom's voice drifted to me softly through the dark.

"Maisie? Gunner?"

"Just me," I called back to her. "Gunner went ahead to his room. I just wanted you to know we're home."

"That's my good girl," Mom teased. "Good night, baby."

"Good night, Mom." I hoped she didn't catch how my voice cracked. It hit me, just then, that telling my mom good night was something I had very nearly lost.

I hadn't let myself think about it while Edward could overhear. Then, when we were at the driftwood beach, I hadn't wanted to distract Jasper from the task of disposing of Maria's body. But now that Gunner was safe in his own bed, patched up and watched over by Leah, I knew I needed to talk to Jasper.

That was my plan, and I had good intentions. I was also exhausted, though. I fell into my bed beside Jasper, into his arms, still wearing Leah's clothes. I think I was asleep before my head even hit my pillow.

* * *

In the morning, the sun was out. The light stung my eyes when I opened them. My hair had fallen out of Rosalie's careful braid, so that I had to push the strands out of my face. I was alone, as I knew I would be.

Pushing myself up and away from my mattress, my muscles screamed in protest. No amount of softball practices could have prepared me for how sore I was after that night.

"Holy crap," I muttered to myself. My voice sounded scratchy. Bless him, Jasper had left a cup of water next to my bed, and I downed it all in quick gulps.

I had to give myself a pep talk before I was able to leave my bed for a shower. _Mom can't see the blood in your hair, she'll freak. I probably smell like death after last night._ The hot water will make everything feel better. Eventually, I managed to limp my way into the bathroom and start the shower. Of course, once I was in there, I didn't want to leave. It was heaven, expect for the fact that I kept choking on the steam.

I scrubbed the blood form my hair, rinsing it over and over again. First, the water working through the strands ran red. Then pink, then clear. I let the water run over me, soothing out the tightness in my muscles. The water had started to go cold before I finally got out.

Using my hand, I cleaned some of the steam from the mirror on the back of my bathroom door. I felt fundamentally different, but…the Maisie looking back at me from the mirror didn't look different. Not too much, anyway. I was pale and there were dark circles under my eyes, but I thought that was to be expected.

I got dressed and started combing through my hair. I was still coughing from the steam, so I opened the little bathroom window to clear some of it. That didn't really help, so I went to the sink and cupped my hands under the water so I could take a drink.

 _Why is my throat so dry?_ I thought absently to myself. I kept taking drinks from my hands, but the cool tap water was doing nothing to soothe the itch there.

I racked my brain, trying to remember how long I had been outside last night. Was I getting a cold? Was Ava sick? I couldn't remember. Or Gunner?

 _Or Gunner._ I straightened up, meeting my own eyes in the mirror above the sink. They were wide and wild, but blue, blessedly still blue.

I had drank my brother's blood last night. And I wanted more of it. And now, this morning, my throat was scratchy, and water was doing nothing to quench the thirst.

I met my own gaze in the mirror again.

"I'm so freaking _stupid._ "

* * *

 **A/N:** I still have a **tiny** bit to explore in this story. Mainly, the changes brought on within Maisie after all of her trials and tribulations. There was definitely a reason why I had Garrett explain the sort of in between state some humans were able to achieve through doses of venom: not quite vampires, not entirely human.

Thank you so much to everyone who left kind reviews on the last chapter. That was such a struggle for me to write, you have NO IDEA how much it meant! I truly, truly love you all. Also, one of my favorite authors on this site, o-dragon, has been reading this story and that just makes my heart want to burst. Dreams do come true y'all!

I will see you all again soon, I promise! I'm sorry for all the big gaps in updating, school has been crazy!


	59. Chapter Fifty-Eight

_**-Chapter Fifty-Eight-**_

* * *

Jasper appeared in my bathroom almost before the words finished tumbling out of my mouth. His reflection was behind mine in the mirror, suddenly. Had it been anyone other than him, I might have screamed. My heart was leaping in the aftermath of both my realization and the surprise of Jasper's arrival.

"You scared me," I said dumbly.

"I'm sorry." The sadness in the depth of his golden eyes let me know that spooking me wasn't all he was apologizing for. "Maisie, love. I'm so sorry."

I guess he saw no reason to beat around the bush. Jasper pressed something—a paper coffee cup, I realized—into my hand. It was warm against my palm.

"You knew?" I asked, quietly. I was so tired of all the surprises in my life, I couldn't muster the energy to be upset.

"Carlisle…had an inkling, from Garrett's tales. I explained how you had drunk some of Gunner's blood and Maria's venom last night. He said the venom would likely have no effect on you, since you…threw up."

I sighed at that. Whatever else may come my way, I could rest assured I wouldn't have to fake my death to my parents and Ava…yet. "Oh. Bless."

"Indeed. But… Carlisle theorized, and Alice confirmed, that tasting Gunner's blood might… awaken… some suppressed desires."

I glanced down at the cup in my hand. Jasper was speaking slowly, even for him, treading over his words like one mispronounced syllable might cause me to break. I must have looked worse than I thought.

"This is blood?" I asked, peeking up at him through my lashes.

"Yes. You need to drink it, unfortunately. You'll eventually become sick, from what I understand, otherwise."

 _Medicine,_ I thought to myself. _A big cup of medicine._

"Explain it to me first. What's going to happen to me?"

But Jasper shook his head, curling his own hand around mine and pushing the cup upward toward my mouth.

"Trust me, honey. You want to drink this now. It's disgusting when it's cold."

I realized, from the way his voice had become thinner and more strained, that he must not have been breathing. I had _human_ blood in this cup. If _my_ throat was itchy, Jasper's must have been absolutely on fire just at the thought.

Very suddenly, I felt self-conscious.

"I won't look," Jasper whisper-promised, nodding toward the cup. He had used the last of his breath with those words. Carefully, he leaned forward and kissed my forehead before leaving me alone in the bathroom once more.

In private now, I looked back down at the cup.

"Medicine," I whispered to myself this time. "Disgusting, drink it so fast you can't taste it, medicine."

My little pep talk did nothing to bolster my spirits. That credit went to Jasper, who imbued me with warm confidence and bravery as I screwed up my face and lifted the cup to my lips.

I plugged my nose for good measure and started to chug the contents of the cup. It was thick in my mouth, so that I had to take several swallows to avoid choking.

I would like to say I couldn't taste the blood with my precautions, but I did.

I would like to say I didn't like the taste of it, that I wasn't sad when I drained the cup entirely and had no more to drink, but I can't.

When the cup was empty, I rinsed the inside with hot water from the sink. This was both to hide evidence and, hopefully, remove the scent so that Jasper could breathe easily again. Then I brushed my teeth a second time for the morning, scrubbing at them until all I could taste was mint.

Jasper had closed my curtains against the morning sunlight. Of course a day like today would be a sunny day, just my luck. He waited for me on my bed, and when he opened his arms to me, I was more than happy to fit myself inside of them.

"I'm sorry," he told me again. It made me laugh, even though nothing that morning was funny.

"Don't be. I'm the one who drank Gunner's blood. If I didn't, he would have turned by now… or more likely been dead." I shuddered, remembering the intense loathing that had shone from Maria's eyes like a beacon when I had begun to try to save my brother.

The rise and fall of Jasper's chest let me know my efforts weren't for nothing. Still, he kept his head dipped down, inhaling the scent of my hair. I could feel his cool breath washing over my scalp with every exhale.

"I'll never regret what I did," I said after a beat. I knew Jasper was worried about that. Even if it meant my humanity had to end, I would do it a thousand times over for Gunner.

"Edward was right," Jasper murmured. "You saved your brother's life."

I was exhausted. More than anything, I would have liked to go back to sleep. But I could hear the radio playing downstairs, and I knew that Mom and Dad were making breakfast together for us like they did every weekend. Plus, I needed to check on Gunner. I knew Leah had taken care of him through the night, but still. I wanted to talk to him before we went downstairs.

Aside from all that, my stomach decided to growl at just that moment, and I realized that I was also starving. I couldn't remember if I had even eaten dinner the night before. Jasper chuckled at my stomach's interruption.

"You still need human food, too. Don't be surprised if Emmett takes to calling you a 'changeling' to your face. He's still rather proud of himself for coming up with that label while we were talking this morning."

"Of course he would be," I mumbled, wrapping my arms around Jasper's middle and pressing my face to his chest. It felt so good to hold on to him. I nearly lost that privilege, last night. But I knew I needed to be human that morning, before I figured out what I truly was. Too soon, I pulled myself away from Jasper.

He caught my jaw in his hand, tipping my head back. His kiss was slow and gentle.

"I promise to answer every question you have, or ask Carlisle to answer the ones I can't, tonight. Alice said you should be okay for about a week before you need to drink again."

I nodded, the motion held by his hand. Jasper kissed me once more before leaving me, quick and quiet as a ghost. Once he was gone, I padded my way to Gunner's bedroom.

He didn't respond to my knock, so I slowly pushed his door open, peaking around the edge. My brother lay asleep, one arm thrown over the edge of his bed like he had been reaching for something. His hair was in a disarray, a messy red halo around his head. Gunner was still pale, despite Carlisle's transfusions, and his freckles stuck out in contrast.

I walked toward him, sinking my hand into his sleep-mussed hair.

"Hey, Gun," I whispered to him. "You gotta get up."

That gentle prompt earned my one eye cracked open and a groan.

"I feel like death. Tell Mom I'm sick."

"No, then she'll come in here to make a fuss over you and see your stitches. Do you want to explain to her how you got them?"

I guess he had forgotten about that. Gunner raised his arm, eyes still drooping with sleep, to stare at the bandages on his arm. He groaned again and pushed himself up off his mattress. Gunner reached over the edge of his bed, grabbing randomly at a hoodie, and pulled it over his head.

He sat in his bed for a moment, rubbing at his face to wake himself up. Suddenly, he stopped, his head popping up.

"Leah left, right?"

I couldn't help but laugh at his round eyes, the worry on his face, the way it drained as soon as it came to be replaced with a blush.

"Don't be a prude. I told her to stay with you. Jasper stayed with me, too. They snuck out together before Mom and Dad got up."

Gunner deflated a little with relief. "Okay, good."

Ava met us in the hallway, sleepy and rubbing her eyes herself. She reached up to me when she saw us, waiting for me to pick her up and carry her down the stairs. As we were walking down the stairs, Gunner slipped his hand into mine. On the edge of his palm, I could feel the scratch of his bandages. I gave his hand a squeeze.

All three of us together made a united front through the living room to the kitchen, where our parents waited for us.

* * *

"Hey, little changeling!"

Jasper had been exactly right. Emmett threw the front door open and greeted me just like his brother predicted he would. Reaching a hand out aimed to ruffle my hair, I knocked Emmett's arm away with my own. This made him throw his head back with laughter. "Let her fight a few vampires, give her a little blood, and she thinks she's Hercules."

"Emmett," I heard Carlisle somewhere behind him. Emmett's huge body was blocking my view of the living room. The chastising was clear in Carlisle's voice. "Maisie didn't come here to be harassed."

As always, reprimanding had little effect on Emmett. He flashed me one of his dimpled smiles before sweeping his arm outward dramatically, allowing me to move past him and into the house.

"Sorry, Maise. I'll _harass_ you some more later, but I'm on newborn duty right now." With those parting words, Emmett blurred his way out one of the huge windows that made up the back wall of the house. I turned to ask Jasper what that meant, but something—some _one_ —else caught my attention.

To my surprise, though, Sam sat on the couch. He had three large, scabbed-over gashes running down the length of his arm. I guess he caught the way my eyes landed on them, because he smiled ruefully.

"Turns out mountain lions aren't cut out for wolves." _Catalina._ I had forgotten about Maria's pet entirely. I had never seen her in her human form, though Edward was certain she had been a shifter. I shuddered to think of facing the wolf pack, as a mountain lion or no. Catalina was another casualty of Maria's insanity. "I told Carlisle we tend to heal pretty quickly, but he wanted to check it out."

I moved further into the room, taking a seat on the arm of Jasper's chair. He pulled me to him, settling me on his lap, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"If I'm being honest, I also asked Sam here to be present while I explain what Garrett and I have pieced together. It seemed a perfect time, with most of my family helping Jasmine adjust to an animal blood diet." I had forgotten about Jasmine, too, the pretty newborn vampire who had switched sides during the fight and helped the Cullens bring Maria down.

At the sound of his name, Garrett emerged from the kitchen, a plate of brownies in his hand.

"Esme baked for the two of you!" He announced, setting the plate on the coffee table between us. I reached for one immediately. Esme had baked enough for me to know they would be soft, perfect, and delicious. That seemed to be enough prompting for Sam, and he reached for one, too.

Maybe it was because I was just so happy that I still liked and wanted human food, but I'm fairly certain Esme's brownies that night were the best damn brownies I ever had in my entire life.

"So," Carlisle began, bursting my brownie-eating bubble. Jasper tightened an arm around my waist, a squeeze to tell me to pay attention. "As you can see, Maisie is still…mostly human. Outwardly, her appearance hasn't changed. She _smells_ like a vampire, but her heart still beats, and she still requires breath. Her fight with Maria left her with some bruises. You can see for herself that she's eating human food."

All of this was directed at Sam. It sounded like Carlisle was trying to convince him of something, which made me anxious. Jasper counteracted that with a wave of calm and a kiss to my temple.

"You're really not that much different from humans _without_ venom altering, Maise." Garrett threw in. Already he had picked up the nickname Emmett had given me, and Emmett had only been there for a little more than a day. "We all know it's made you faster and stronger, but it's not infallible. Increased health is a perk, but it still pales in comparison to the near-indestructibility and immortality that vampires have, of course."

The unsaid _but_ hung heavy in the air between the four of us.

Sam shifted on the couch. I lowered my eyes to look at the brownie in my hand, trying not to think of the blood I had drank this morning.

"When Maria bit Gunner, Maisie took a chance that ended up saving his life." Carlisle began. But then he let the sentence just end. It wasn't until Jasper nudged me that I realized that Carlisle was giving me the opportunity to tell my own story rather than speak for me.

I looked up from the brownie to meet Sam's dark eyes. "I drank his blood. Well, some of it. I spit most of it out. And I threw up what I did drink later. But I know how the venom _tastes_ , because Maria had cut my mouth before. So, it was like with a snake bite. I drank and spit out his blood until I couldn't taste the venom anymore."

Here, Carlisle picked it back up, filling in the information I never could have explained as eloquently as he did. "Maisie's body had no time to ingest the venom nor absorb it into her own bloodstream, so she won't suffer any further consequences from the dosage. However, given the amount of venom she already has in her blood, and the changes that has already caused, her decision to drink some of Gunner's blood has hastened a certain change that would have come regardless, given time, as we know from Garrett's experience with humans who have received dosages of vampire venom."

Now Sam's eyes narrowed, suspicious. I felt the way Jasper bristled behind me, and his tension. He was ready, in case things turned south. Garrett gave Sam a wide, easy smile that didn't seem to do anything to change the werewolf's suspicion.

"Believe it or not, but this was a trend I encountered among humans some time ago. It was fashionable, and it was a status symbol to be able to afford to pay a skilled vampire to share their venom with you. Small doses, administered with careful precision, such as that Maria used, will create a natural resistance in humans. Which means that with each increased dose, a human will _not_ change, _but_ they will begin to gain more vampire traits. Maisie is stronger now, physically and in her immune system. She has better reflexes and increased speed. Not so much so as to be noticeable at all times—the only time I have seen the true extent of her venom-enhanced strength has been recently, with her scuffles with vampires."

Carlisle stepped in here. "Using Garrett's background knowledge on the subject and Alice's visions, I can tell you what we have pieced together. Had Maisie not drank Gunner's blood, it would have been months yet before we realized this need. As it stands, due to the venom in her system, Maisie does require a blood supplemented diet now. Not to the extent that a true vampire does, of course. Vampires become weaker without blood, but they do not die. This fact does not hold true for Maisie, I'm afraid. Without regular servings of blood, she will become sick. The venom in her system will overtake her own blood, poisoning it but not changing her."

I understood why Carlisle told us simultaneously. Sam's gaze shifted from Carlisle, who he had been watching through narrowed eyes, to me. I could feel the hot tears streaming down my cheeks, but I didn't make a move to wipe them away. Neither did Jasper, and I was glad for that. I needed to mourn this loss of my humanity, even if it wasn't total.

"You don't want this," Sam said. It wasn't a question.

"No."

"How long will she be able to live this way?" Carlisle sighed deeply at this question.

"Technically, she could live the rest of her life this way. However, as time passes, Maisie will have to rely more heavily on the blood diet. Eventually, it would entirely replace her need for human food. But it won't be any quality of life. She'll weaken over the years, the blood becoming the only thing keeping her alive."

He kept it vague, and I was glad for that. Sam's jaw became tight, and I guessed he was probably chewing the inside of his cheek. Leah had told me once that he did that when he was thinking.

"I'll have to talk to the elders," he eventually said. Sam had guessed at things that Carlisle hadn't even said. "This is…different. Very different. I'm pretty sure no one in the tribe has encountered this. It creates a lot of gray space, you know? Even if I'm the pack leader, I would need a consensus about this. If she needs blood, is it animal blood like your family drinks?"

"Unfortunately, no. It must be human blood. The hospital can only legally keep donated blood for forty-two days before it has to be thrown out. This blood will work for Maisie, since it's being used for consumption and not a medical need. No humans will be harmed. I know this situation is not what the people who donated the blood intended, but it's the only solution I have found that will fulfill the needs in a way that doesn't negatively affect others in any way."

Sam nodded once. I wasn't as surprised as he was. After the cup of blood Jasper had given me this morning, I had guessed this was how my life would go now. Almost immediately, the blood had made me feel more energized. It made me feel good now, but even before I heard Carlisle lay the blood consumption out as a death sentence, I knew it wouldn't be a long-term fix.

" _That_ doesn't violate the treaty, at least. I don't think the elders will be too happy about it, though. I can't say I am, but it's not like any of you had a hand in the venom. I'll take this information back with me to the pack."

With that, Sam rose. I don't know if Carlisle intended that to be the end of the conversation. He was a gracious host as always, however. Carlisle rose with Sam to see him out the door.

Jasper rose, too, lifting me with him. I gasped in surprise as he settled me into his arms more comfortably before running up the stairs. One minute we had been standing in the living room; the next, we were in his bedroom. He set me on my feet before him, his mouth opening.

I knew the words that were going to leave his lips was going to be another apology, but I didn't want to hear it. I reached for him, bouncing up onto my tiptoes to kiss him and stop his words instead.

He meant well, but Jasper's words didn't hold any comfort for me. Not right now. Not when I didn't regret a thing, even if it meant I would definitely have to make a choice I had been otherwise avoiding. I guess he caught on, because his hands grazed down my hips to the backs of my thighs, lifting me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist. He was strong enough, of course, to support my weight with one hand. The other had worked itself into my hair, fingers grazing my neck and following the line of my pulse there.

My breath caught in my throat at his touch. With my heartbeat hammering between us, I pulled away from him so I could speak.

"Carlisle and Garrett are still here," I scolded him, voice breathy and weak. He smiled at me in return, the mischief lighting up his golden eyes.

"And I thought you had better hearing now," he teased, dipping his head close to whisper in my ear. The way his breath washed over my cheek made me shiver. "They left almost as soon as Sam did, to check on the others."

"You distracted me," I mumbled, making an excuse for myself. Jasper chuckled, and I could feel it rumbling through his chest, I was pressed so closely to him.

I wasn't sure why I needed this physical comfort more than his words or even his mood altering, but Jasper didn't question it and neither did I. My blood truly held no appeal to him any longer, I smelled so much like a vampire. So much like _her,_ I was sure. I tried not to think about that aspect of what I had become.

It was hard to think about anything other than Jasper, though, when he carried me over to the futon in his room and settled me beneath him. Honestly, my mind was entirely scattered when his hand slipped under my shirt, his skin cool yet blazing a trail across my stomach. I liked it just fine that way.

* * *

Kate left us too soon. I would have liked for her to stay longer, but she had gotten a call from Tanya. When everything was said and done in Forks, Kate had told her sister that it was done. Apparently, Tanya had relayed that information to Irina and the wayward Denali sister was finally making her way home.

"Supposedly she wants to talk," Kate explained. As soon as they had all returned from hunting, she began packing her things in her bag. "We'll see how well that actually goes, though. I might just punch her in the face."

"Oh, a cat fight," Garrett drawled from where he lounged on the couch. " _That_ should be interesting."

I think Kate would have blushed if she'd been able to. Garrett was making his way north to Alaska with her. So, really, we were saying goodbye to two friends at once.

Alice sat perched on the coffee table, her eyes fuzzy and in the future. When they became focused again, she simply shrugged.

"It _might_ come to that. Really, it's going to depend on you, Kate."

"Guess I'm punching my sister when I get home, then." She said it so nonchalantly that even Esme couldn't help laughing.

Garrett and Kate left during the night, heading out on foot even though Carlisle had offered them his own car. They waved off his generosity, though, saying they would be fine.

"We know there's nothing in these woods," Garrett had said easily. Kate hugged me so tightly that I could hardly breathe. "We either killed it or made friends with it, so I would chance it to say we're safe!"

Charlotte and Peter decided to stay a little longer…just in case. Jasmine was the source of that 'just in case'. She was lovely, and seemed sweet, but she was still a newborn. Her bright red eyes attested to that. Jasper shared concerns with his old friends about her self-control after the first few months of her newborn life being spent in Maria's army.

"Edward seems to like her," I pointed out to Jasper and Alice. She came with us when Jasper drove me home, in Alice's new yellow Porsche. The car was being passed off as a graduation gift from Carlisle and Esme, though I knew in actuality Alice had just wanted the car.

"He does," Alice agreed. "Her thoughts are agreeable, apparently. They had the same feelings about feeding on humans. When Edward was having his 'rebellious phase' and feeding on humans, he only fed on monstrous ones. Apparently, there is some television show called _Dexter,_ where the main character is a serial killer who kills other serial killers. Before she knew of us and our vegetarian diet, Jasmine had plans to do something similar with her vampire life."

"Now Edward just makes anonymous calls to various police stations to refrain from slipping up and drinking human blood while still achieving the same means to an end," Jasper threw in. "At least he's got a like-minded friend now. Rose will be so thrilled."

Since we were neighbors, and Forks was tiny, the drive home should have been short. But Jasper had taken the long way, making a circle around the edge of Forks and driving back through. I was happy he did. He and Alice were two of my favorite people, and it was so wonderfully _normal_ to just be driving through town with him.

"I've seen _Dexter_ ," I said, looking up from a text I was typing out to Gunner. "He's a ginger. Must be a common thing with them, killing other killers. I'll check with Gunner when I get home to see if my theory holds."

For the first time in months, life felt _right._

Well, when I was ignoring the fact that I was waiting for Sam to bring back news from the elders concerning my new life. And the fact that my new life involved drinking blood on a regular basis. Also, I only had a handful of months left in high school, so I had to make some college decisions…

Okay, so there were still a lot of things I was going to have to deal with. But for that night, I was only focusing on what _was_.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello, my loves! I am so sorry for the unintentionally long break I took between chapters. School work is a pain in the you know what.

Anyway, I hope some answers to questions will suffice before we get to the rest of the falling action of this story and wrap things up.

No, Maisie will not turn into a vampire...yet. Nor can she stay the way she is. Conflict!

I love you all. Thank you for supporting this story! I look forward to hearing from y'all during these final chapters! :)


	60. Chapter Fifty-Nine

**_-Chapter Fifty-Nine-_**

* * *

After battling an army of newborn vampires and a mountain lion shapeshifter, retuning to high school was pretty lackluster. I couldn't even tell my _friends_ about anything. Sure, I had Gunner, but he already didn't like to talk about it. Which I understood, but still.

And I sure as hell wasn't going to talk to Bella. The way she watched me Monday morning, I guessed she probably wanted to. When she grabbed my arm in the cafeteria at lunch that day, it wasn't to ask about the fighting. Not really, anyway. There was only one thing on her mind, as always.

"Have you heard from Jake?" Bella looked somehow paler than usual…which was impressive, considering she wasn't much darker than Jasper or his family. You know. People who didn't have blood of their own.

"Uh, no. We're not really friends…if you forgot, or something." She rolled her eyes at me here.

"Yeah, I know. Never mind." With that, she let go of my arm and turned on her heel before stalking her way out of the cafeteria.

"What the hell," I muttered to myself. If I cared more, I might have asked Edward or Alice about it. I didn't, though, so I finished crossing the cafeteria to the table my friends always sat at.

"Getting accosted over there?" Tyler asked, carefully peeling an orange. He hated oranges, but Lauren loved them. They were pretty disgusting in their cuteness sometimes, honestly.

"Since when do you use words like 'accosted'?" I countered. Looking down at my too-greasy piece of pizza, I felt my stomach churn. Carlisle had told me that I would still need human food, which had made my day initially…now I wasn't so sure he was right about that.

"SAT season is approaching," Jess threw in, looking up from her own SAT prep book. "He's just showing off the new words I taught him in study hall."

One bite of the cardboard cafeteria pizza reassured me that school food just sucked. There was definitely a reason I didn't usually eat the pizza, but when your choices are between pizza or burned spaghetti, what can you do?

"I should probably study for that, huh?" I asked around my bite of pizza. That was enough for Jess to glare at me over the top of her book.

"Yeah, brat, you _should._ "

I laughed, probably a little too loud and a little too long if Lauren's annoyed look told me anything. That was okay with me, though. School wasn't as exciting as fighting vampires, sure, but actually, that was okay with me, too.

But by the end of the week, everything that had happened with Maria felt like another lifetime. Except for the nightmares. I was having a hard time shaking those. Jasper had showed me the bonfire used to destroy Maria's body to reassure me it was really, truly over. That night had worked itself into my nightmares, though.

Now, instead of Maria chasing me through dark forests, she was sitting among the flames of a fire meant to destroy her. Entirely untouched, smiling brightly, red eyes shining with the reflection of the flames. The only thing affected in these dreams was her voice, which became a raspy hiss.

 _Preciossssa._

The fact that Jasper was always there when I jerked myself awake form those dreams was instantly comforting. All I had to do was press myself tighter to him or feel his fingers running through my hair and I knew I was perfectly safe.

* * *

Alice had foreseen that I would need to drink blood again roughly a week after the first time. Carlisle thought it might be a good idea to postpone it, though. I had agreed happily. Firstly, I didn't want to drink it again. Secondly, as Carlisle pointed out, I still had three months left in my senior year and summer break. Which meant, in total, about six months where I needed to appear as human as possible until I could move for college.

Which I was doing. I had plans to move to Alaska, with Jasper. More than likely, Jasmine and Edward would join us. Emmett had nicknamed it _Newborn Training Camp_ , even though Jasmine was the only one who qualified as a newborn.

By the end of the second week, I was feeling it. I was tired—and not just sleepy because of the nightmares. This exhaustion was deep in my muscles, in my bones. It was the kind of tired that serves as a precursor for the flu; a heavy, sluggishness. Also, kind of like the flu, my throat was starting to get itchy. It felt dry, but just like the morning after Maria died and Jasper gave me blood, no amount of water helped.

Food tasted like cardboard in my mouth. It was weird, because I was hungry, and I _did_ want it, but I couldn't quite taste it.

I hated every minute of it.

But Carlisle was adamant I not have blood again until the full second week had passed. I begrudgingly agreed, because I didn't want to become dependent on the blood too quickly.

"Not until after you graduate, at least," Jasper had reminded me when I was complaining on Friday night. His apology was clear in his voice. More so than anyone else in the family, he understood the primal need for blood. Unfortunately for him, Jasper could also feel my own need rising. It was Edward and Bella all over again, and I felt terrible about it.

That night, I had accompanied him and Edward to take Jasmine hunting. She got to have blood whenever she needed it. I knew that was because she was a newborn, and she needed to feed regularly on animal blood to suppress the desire for human blood, and blah, blah, blah. I had a headache, and my throat hurt, and I was achy, and I just didn't really give a damn.

Peter and Charlotte had left earlier that day. Jasmine was going well, between Carlisle's frequent hunting schedule he had her on and Jasper aiding in regulating her bloodlust. They were antsy to go, now that Maria had been handled. The nomadic lifestyle was what they were used to.

Charlotte made us both promise to write often, to update them on my 'condition'.

"I guess I should keep up appearances or whatever."

"Or whatever," Jasper agreed, reaching out to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. I didn't feel great, but my enhanced senses hadn't suffered from the lack of blood. It was a cloudy night, and even darker with the leafing spring trees blocking what little moonlight there was. Yet, I hardly needed Jasper's help as we hiked lazily through the forest, trailing behind Edward and Jasmine.

He tried to make me feel better, though. Jasper gave me energy I didn't have myself, soothed the ache from my muscles. This was greatly appreciated when he was with me, but when he was away…

Softball practice that afternoon had been hell.

There was a rustling around us in the forest. For just a second, I felt myself tense. I relaxed in the next moment, when Edward's bright copper hair flashed into view. He was racing with Jasmine, I realized, as she ran close on his heels.

It was a game all three of the brothers had been playing since Jasmine had begun to stay with the Cullens. They all tried to best her, knowing that her own blood leftover from her human life gave her a massive edge over them in strength and speed. Edward's advantage was that he knew these woods whereas Jasmine, who we had learned actually came from southern California, did not.

"You're a cheater," she complained when Edward reached us first. Jasmine had a naturally husky voice. It was a surprising contrast from her big eyes, long, curling eyelashes, and soft, full lips. I wondered if her voice was a byproduct of her newborn status, but Edward had told me her voice sounded the same in her human memories.

Jasmine thought about her human life often, Edward had told us, though he didn't go into specifics about what Jasmine thought about.

"Get used to it," I told her. "He cheats at everything."

"I believe it's called an advantage. You don't complain when Alice does the same."

"That's because Alice is my second-favorite," I countered. Usually, Edward would have been rolling his eyes at me. it seemed to be his favorite reaction to me most of the time. But he was only smiling that night.

If Jasmine was going to soothe the brooding and crankiness Edward was naturally prone to, she was a fine addition to the family in my eyes.

* * *

Sam chucked the tradition he and Carlisle had fallen into. Instead of a written note, I got a call from Leah when I was _finally_ able to get a second dose of blood.

Jasper sat in my window seat, face turned toward the open window. While he breathed in the clean evening air, I sat on my bed and drank the blood as discretely as I could. My parents were still up, which meant they knew Jasper was in my room, which meant my door had to be open.

I suppose it would have been smarter to wait until my family had gone to bed to drink, but I couldn't wait any longer. In our new entirely open-book relationship, Gunner knew what was going on with me. He was keeping Ava busy so she wouldn't try to come up to my bedroom and bother me.

Only when my phone rang did Jasper turn his head toward me, an eyebrow raised in question. I drank more quickly, taking long pulls through the metal straw to drain the cup faster. Esme had gotten me a metal cup and a metal straw—easy to keep clean and easier to conceal the blood inside—for what she called my 'feedings'.

"Hey, Leah," I answered when the blood was all gone. "What's up?"

"Hey yourself. Come to La Push tomorrow night and bring your vampire gang. Sam's finally got the elders thinking straight, and he wants a full-on meeting. He's allowing a boundary crossing for it. Gunner will have to come, too."

Jasper didn't come toward me, because I hadn't rinsed the cup yet. But I knew he was listening from the way he had his head tipped. I watched him and the way the night breeze ruffled his hair across his forehead.

"Sounds serious," I told Leah.

"Nah," she disagreed. "The elders just like to do things old-school. It's for show more than anything. Sam's just making them happy."

It wasn't until I was rinsing my cup out with hot water from the bathroom sink that I realized Leah hadn't mentioned Bella.

* * *

So, I found myself chauffeuring the entire Cullen family. I learned Esme had a van with three rows of seating, but even so, Rosalie would have to sit in Emmett's lap for everyone to fit. Why were we going to drive, instead of everyone just running on over to La Push?

Carlisle's idea. He thought it would present the family as more normal, more human, to arrive in a vehicle. It was also Carlisle's idea that I should drive.

"Me? Why me?" I could already hear Edward and Emmett complaining that I wasn't driving fast enough. I drove faster than the speed limit, but only about five or ten over…certainly not the ninety miles per hour or more that all the Cullens seemed to prefer.

"I think it will send a better message. Leah can advocate all she wants, but I know how stubborn Billy Black and his kinsmen can be. We need to make it as obvious as possible that you are a willing member of this family."

Carlisle was excellent at using his Dad Voice. This voice wasn't all that different than the way Carlisle spoke most of the time: gentle, but firm. He didn't even have to use any harsh language. The tone alone let you know that there would be no arguing with him.

If he could use a Dad Voice, though, then I didn't see any reason why I couldn't be a whiny teenager.

"Uuugh," I groaned. "Fine. I hate driving at night."

"It's hard for you?" Jasmine asked, her brows knitting together. Before I could even answer, Emmett was snorting holding back his laughter.

"No. Ask her why she doesn't like it."

I rolled my eyes at Emmett. "Listen. There's no reason why it _couldn't_ happen. Do not stand there, a vampire with plans to meet with werewolves tonight, and tell me that supernatural beings don't exist."

"She's superstitious," Alice told Jasmine, a teasing smile lighting up her face. Rosalie only looked annoyed from where she lounged across the loveseat, her head resting in Emmett's lap.

"The fact that we all exist has only added fuel to her fire."

Jasmine laughed, a husky sound. I realized it was the first time I had heard her laugh. "What do you think is out there?"

"Anything could be out there," I pointed out. " _Anything._ Aliens, skin walkers, ghosts, whatever."

"It's all she can think about when she drives at night." Edward wasn't helping, obviously.

Then Jasper himself betrayed me! "She gets anxious over it as well."

"Okay, that's enough of this Maisie roast. Everyone in the car or I'm leaving without y'all."

To add insult to injury, everyone beat me to the car.

* * *

At La Push, we met up with Leah and Gunner at the Clearwater house. She led us on a hike through the forest. I guess Jasper was feeling like he owed it to me, because he gave me a piggyback ride despite us having to keep pace with Gunner anyway.

My brother only rolled his eyes at me. "This is why Dad calls you a spoiled princess."

I reached up and pulled some needles off a pine tree we passed and threw them over top of Jasper's head at that brother of mine. They bounced off his head, exploding in a little burst as the scattered.

"Please don't think this is, like, some kind of ancestral ground or anything that we're meeting on. We just needed somewhere private that we wouldn't be interrupted, and no one would overhear our conversation." Leah tossed to us over her shoulder.

I don't know what I expected when Leah led us into the clearing, honestly. It was like looking at past and present at the same time, seeing the older generation of a pack gone by mixed in with the young men that made up the current pack.

Jacob was there with his father, settling Billy Black's wheelchair on the most even ground he could find. Seth and some of the other boys were helping older men settle into folding chairs they must have brought with them.

The fact that the Cullens were untouched by time really hit me just then. Save for their clothing, Carlisle, Esme, and Edward looked just the same as they did the first time they set foot on Quileute land and created the treaty. Their faces were constants, but the pack was ever changing with the generations.

Nobody but Leah smiled. Jasper settled me onto my feet beside Gunner. He hung in the middle, almost, between the Cullens and the pack. Leah hovered there with us.

Sam stood from where he was speaking with a particularly aged man. He walked forward, crossing his arms before addressing Carlisle. "I've explained to them the best that I can, but they want to hear it from you."

So, Carlisle launched into explaining, again, the in between state I now existed in. Not entirely human, certainly not a vampire. Everyone listened with blank expressions until he got to the issue of my blood-enhanced diet. Then, Billy Black leaned forward in his chair, his eyes connecting with mine.

"Do you crave the blood?"

I was so put-off by the directness of his question that it took me a moment to answer him. "No!"

Carlisle was quick to pick the narrative back up when I was lost for more words. "The blood is vital to her survival. Maisie cannot remain healthy without it, but she does not seek it out in the conventional way of our kind."

"I don't want to bite people, if that's what you're getting at." I snapped, having found my words again.

Sam looked back. "I told you, this isn't a choice she's made. It was forced upon her by Maria, the vampire that was the leader of the newborns and mountain lion shape shifter that we took care of."

"Can you tell me she won't become a danger to _humans,_ " I didn't think Billy's emphasis on the word was necessary here, "in the future? With one hundred percent certainty? You are trained at converting vampires to your lifestyle, not whatever the girl is now."

Jasper's breath came out in a hiss between his teeth. I reached for his hand, squeezing it in my own. When he glanced down at me, I shook my head at him.

"While it is true that Maisie requires human blood for the supplemented diet to be effective in keeping her alive, the bloodlust that accompanies vampirism is not present in her symptoms." This was Carlisle's Doctor Voice. Clipped, clinical. The smile he wore on his lips did not reach his eyes.

"Everyone understands the guidelines of the treaty," Leah cut in when Billy opened his mouth to continue. "Even the new girl. They're here because they care about Maisie and the lives of other humans. That's the whole point of their drinking animal blood instead. Carlisle is a _doctor for humans,_ for God's sake. We're lucky he has the access to human blood that he does, or else Maisie would _die._ The vampire responsible for that is already dead, so it's not like you could punish any of the vampires standing here anyway."

"Okay, sure." Jacob jumped to his father's defense. "But what happens when the blood isn't enough anymore? Does she die, or does she become a biter? And if she _does_ become a biter, who's going to do it? Last time I checked, no vampire in the Cullen coven is allowed to turn a human."

"I think it's pretty obvious your dad doesn't consider me a human," I said before I could think better of it. "So, that doesn't really apply here, does it? Seems to me I can do whatever the hell I want and you can't stop me, Jacob."

Now it was Jasper who gave my hand a warning squeeze. I noticed he did nothing to temper the anger rising inside me, though.

Jacob was gripping the handles of his father's wheelchair so tightly that his knuckles shone white. Sam blew out a big breath. He turned halfway, sticking Jacob with a stare.

 _"I'm the alpha,"_ he murmured, low, to Jacob. _"Don't forget that."_

Sam twisted back to face us. "The majority rules in this case, but ultimately, it would have been my decision anyway. For all intents and purposes, we are still considering Maisie a human. So, no, she can't be changed by one of your coven, if you wish to keep the treaty intact. As long as no human is harmed, we are considering the blood the same way you would consider a treatment for a disease. It's medicine as far as we're concerned. I can't stop you from either path you choose for yourself down the line, Maisie. No one can."

"It's still four years away, if her health maintains," Carlisle admitted. "We don't know a lot about the position Maisie is in. I am still researching it. Out of courtesy and respect to our treaty and alliance, I will update you with any new information we gain."

Sam nodded once. He turned fully away from us. Apparently, this meeting was over, all of five minutes after it began. Seemed like a lot of effort, dragging their elders through the words, for such a short meeting.

But I suppose the wolf pack had their own secrets to keep. Leah had said Sam didn't want the conversation overheard, aft all. Travelling to and from the meeting took longer than anything else.

Leah accompanied us back through the trees. "A lot of pomp and circumstance for next to nothing, huh? Seth says all the time he can't wait until we're the elders and everything can be handled by a text message or something, and not super-secret forest meetings."

"No offense, but I can see why everyone thought y'all were in a cult."

"I keep telling her that! She doesn't believe me that we all had a huge conspiracy theory about it." Gunner, apparently, was a supernatural trooper. With the threat of Maria removed from his life, he was taking everything better than I would have expected him to just a few months ago.

I was just happy that things were settled almost peacefully. Sam being the alpha of the pack seemed to be the biggest stroke of luck I could have had. At least he was calling shots that made sense, whether others liked it or not.

Jacob Black be damned.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, so, I'm going to be straight up with this question. Please let me know, because it's something I've gone back and forth toying with for a long time. I want to do a sequel to this story, and incorporate Leah/Gunner and Jasmine into it as well. Kind of explore all of these characters a little more. Besides Maisie making her choice between being either dying or becoming a vampire, I've gone back and forth with this A LOT as a plot point. My concern is that I don't want Maisie's story to become too similar to Bella's, but, still I kind of want it. And from reading reviews, it seems like y'all would want to read it, too. So, I'm just going to ask you guys.

Would you be interested in reading a follow up story like I've been planning in my silly little head? And, the big question, would you like to maybe see Jasper and Maisie have a kid in that follow up story? Message me, let me know. I won't promise that's what will happen, but I am heavily considering it!

Anyway, I love you all so much. Have a great week!


	61. Chapter Sixty

**_-Chapter Sixty-_**

* * *

My life became a blur my last few months in Forks.

Maria was dead and gone, but she had sealed my fate before she left the world. I had become sentimental in my remaining weeks of high school. That's the only reason I can think of for the insane thing I did in the last week of school.

I mean, I had never been particularly sentimental. Suddenly, though, Ava's antics no longer annoyed me and instead made my heart ache with a loss I didn't yet know. My little sister, with her deceptive angel's looks in her blonde hair and gray eyes, was growing on me. I babysat her as much as I could, not complaining when my parents asked, and let her tag along with me whenever she wanted.

But that's not to say she didn't still get on my nerves. Ava still wasn't over her phase of pretty much _constantly_ doing cartwheels, handstands, round-offs…you name it.

"Ava!" I snapped at her, because she wouldn't stop her tricks when I had already told her several times. All I was trying to do was deliver the batch of cookies my mom had made for Alice and Edward—finals were coming up, and she insisted everyone needed study snacks. I was looking forward to eating some of the cookies myself, knowing most of them would be sent to work with Carlisle.

"You're going to bust your head open and Carlisle's _not_ going to stitch it up for you!"

"Nuh-uh!" She argued with me mid-backbend. "Doctor's take a hippo toast, so they have to help people."

Hippo toast. Hippocratic Oath. Close enough.

"Not when people are being annoying!"

Esme laughed, shaking her head at our argument. "I suppose I'm lucky that all my children are around the same age. I'm not sure how your sweet mother handles the bickering."

She wasn't wrong there. Actually, as we had come to find out, Jasmine was seventeen. Technically, we were all within a few years of each other.

Ava didn't want to leave Alice. She let herself go limp, complete dead weight. Unfortunately for Ava, she only weighed a little more than thirty pounds, so she wasn't hard to carry and toss into the backseat of my car.

And my _friends!_ I knew I was going to have to leave them anyway, because we were all graduating. Knowing that you would become a vampire in a few years, though, made it a little more bittersweet.

So, of course, I said 'yes' when Mike and Tyler came up with the idea of breaking into the school at night to play hide and seek.

"Tell me what you're going to do again?"

Jasper couldn't quite believe our plans. He was making me explain them in front of his siblings, hoping that someone would side with him.

"We're all going to leave a window in each hall unlocked and cracked open and then tonight me and Jess are going to climb through the windows and unlock all the halls."

Emmett, of course, thought it was hilarious. "All of that to play hide and seek?"

I nodded and leaned over, peeking at Jasper's hand of UNO cards. We were all cheaters at the game, playing in pairs and doubling or even tripling up the draw four and draw two cards. Jasper's turn was next, and I turned my hand to show him my own draw four, which I planned to play on top of his, which would make Edward have to draw eight.

Hopefully. The crutch of this strategy was the assumption that Edward wouldn't possess his own draw card and play it on top of ours to make Jasmine really tank.

"What are you going to do if the school finds out and calls the police?" Rosalie asked, trading cards with Alice. Jasper put his draw four card in the middle of our circle, and I added my own in.

I got a victorious kiss from Jasper when Edward sighed at us and drew eight new cards.

"Don't worry," I told Rosalie when Jasper pulled away from me. "We're taking Bella Swan with us. _Surely_ you can't get in too much trouble if you have the police chief's daughter breaking and entering with you, right?"

Rosalie and Emmett had taken a sabbatical from NYU when Jasmine joined the family. According to Alice, if Jasmine did have a slip-up, it would likely take at least Emmett and Jasper to control her. _"Though I wouldn't be surprised if Edward and Carlisle would have to help, too. Blood thirsty newborns are a vicious thing."_

I glanced over at Alice, but she gave me a noncommittal shrug. She was refusing to let me know how the night would turn out.

That was fine with me, though. I was entirely too excited about it.

We dressed in all black. With both me and Jess unlocking the doors, it was quick work, even with all the buildings that made up Forks High. Once all the buildings were open, we met in the courtyard.

"Okay," Mike whispered to us, the ringleader of the night. "No flashlights, except for phones. We hide alone. Try not to get worked up over that, Maisie. Forks High probably isn't haunted."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Shut up. You're gonna be sad when you lose."

"Who's it first?" Angela asked. I hadn't seen much of her for the past few months. Her and Bella had grown close, and I obviously had never been on stellar terms with our Arizona transplant. I was surprised she and Ben had agreed to come tonight.

"Nose goes!" Tyler said, a little too loud. He touched his nose as he earned a smack from Lauren.

That stipulation wasn't exactly fair, I'll admit. We had all been using 'nose goes' to make decisions since we were kids. Bella didn't know about the ritual, and she wasn't quick enough to catch on. She was the last one to touch her nose.

"Bella first," Jess said, a wicked smile taking over her face. "Count to one hundred here in the courtyard."

To her credit, Bella counted while we all ran. The rules were simple: we had to hide somewhere in the buildings, since we spent all that time opening them. With each person found, the search party would grow larger, until everyone was uncovered. The last person to be found would then take the role as 'it'.

I ran inside and opened my own locker, fitting myself within it. I figured this strategy would buy me some time, at least. If I said I was determined to be the winner of the night, I would be a liar.

Unfortunately, Jess and I had the same strategy the first round. After Bella and Ben found Jess in her locker, they checked mine, which exposed me to the bright light of a phone camera.

"Damn," I mumbled, accepting Ben's hand to pull me out of the locker.

We played round after round, our hiding spots getting more creative as the night wore on. I found Lauren laying on top of a bookshelf in the library. Mike was found posing in front of a life size poster in the science hallway, making himself a copy of Atlas with a globe in front of the poster. We walked by him five times before realizing.

This was all well and fun, until it was my turn to be 'it' and I happened to find Bella first. I think this probably qualifies as cheating, but I found her by the glow of her cell phone. She was so concentrated on her text message that she didn't notice me at first.

I waited outside the cabinet she had curled herself into. Eventually, Bella looked up from her phone, the screen illuminating her face in a bluish glow. The phone light glinted off her cheeks, and I realized they were wet with tears.

"Why are you crying?" I asked without thinking. As soon as I said it, I realized how rude it sounded. I couldn't take it back, though, and it wasn't like Bella had even really reacted to it. Her only response was to hold her phone out to me.

The first thing I noticed was that Jacob's name in her phone had a little heart emoji next to it.

The second thing I noticed was that he had typed out a long, rambling message that I only skimmed through because I got too mad reading it word for word.

"What an _asshole._ We're going to La Push, c'mon."

"Huh?" Bella asked. I reached for her, grabbing her wrist and hauling her out of the cabinet. My venom strength came in handy here; she couldn't _not_ follow me out of the classroom and down the hall.

"We're going to La Push," I repeated. I was already texting Jess, telling her to take over my turn and I would try to be back before they left. "We'll take my car."

"Why?" Bella asked after a beat. "I mean, why are you helping me?"

"Because his reasoning is bullshit and we both know it," I whispered back to her. "Don't even try to tell me it's not."

The gist of Jacob's breakup text was that it was too dangerous to continue the relationship. That was ridiculous to me for a number of reasons. Unless Jacob Black had imprinted on someone else and was just too much of a coward to say it, I was going to be damned if he used such a flimsy excuse in a text message to break up with Bella.

And I didn't even like Bella. I just thought Jacob was an utter dumbass.

"We can't just go argue with him!" She tried to pull her hand out of my grip.

"Like hell we can't!" Bella planted her feet in the grass as soon as we got outside, using all her weight to try to stop me from dragging her behind me.

Here was where I realized a fundamental difference between Bella and I. She wasn't happy by any means—the tears running down her cheeks were proof of that—but she also wasn't willing to interfere with this train of thought Jacob was on.

Whereas if Jasper had ever tried to convince me of something similar—that his very existence was detrimental to me; that he was breaking up with me because he loved me—I would have argued with him until I was blue in the face.

"You would really just let him get away with that?" I asked, dropping her wrist between us. She didn't say a word, but she nodded solemnly.

I regarded her for a moment in the moonlight. Her big brown eyes, swollen and red from crying. The way her cheeks had gone blotchy. Her quivering bottom lip. She was destroyed, but she was serious.

"You're a dumbass, too."

* * *

I told Jasper about Bella and Jacob while he showed me pictures of a house in Alaska. Graduation was only a week away, and things were getting entirely too real.

I had already told my parents that I registered for classes at Alaska Pacific University. Gunner had helped me convince them that it would be better for me to move there midsummer, to get adjusted to life there before classes started.

" _Whatever makes you happy, Maisie-Daisy,"_ Dad had said, subtly making it clear that he thought I was making a huge mistake. _"You are eighteen now."_

It was a beautiful little house, and it would be mine and Jasper's alone. Edward and Jasmine were going to share another not far from us.

"I mean," I said, flicking through the pictures on Jasper's phone, _"who does that?!_ I would probably kick your butt if you ever tried."

Jasper chuckled, and his laughter shook me, too, where I laid across his chest. "I'm sure you would. Not everyone is cut out for the life you've chosen, Maisie."

I huffed my breath. "I like the house. But the point here is, that's a totally weak excuse. Why would it matter now when Maria's dead, Catalina's dead, the whole freakin' newborn army except Jasmine is dead? She was in danger then, not now."

Beneath me, Jasper shrugged. "Teenage boys are a mysterious thing, I suppose."

"You should know, you are forever nineteen," I reminded him. "And Edward's forever seventeen. There's two prime examples just right there!"

Emmett was twenty when he was changed, so he only narrowly escaped inclusion in my data point examples.

Jasper cupped my face between his hands and kissed me. I could feel the smile curving his mouth when his lips met mine.

* * *

I had been annoyed with Bella when she was crying over Jacob, but I soon adopted crying as a hobby of my own.

Forks graduation: cried pretty much all the time. My eyes were red in every picture, even though I was smiling.

After graduation parties: cried at literally all of them.

Packing up my bedroom: cried so hard that Leah and Alice had to do most of the work for me.

I don't even want to know how much body water content I lost from crying when I said goodbye to my family. I don't like to look back on it, either. I was determined it wouldn't be the last time I saw them, but I knew it was a turning point in my life.

I was going to Alaska with Jasper, who I loved with all my heart.

And, in Alaska, I was either going to become a vampire or die for good.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Hi, lovely friends!

So. I have decided to move forward with a sequel to this story. Not sure what I'll call it, but I do have a general idea of what I want it to be about. Just so no one who wants to read it isn't confused: Each chapter will be narrated by either Maisie, Gunner, or Jasmine, and that will be indicated with the character name at the top. It's basically like three connected fanfictions but in one story with multiple narratives...I thought it would be easier to consolidate these stories together rather than write 3 separate, connected stories. I might regret that, but time will tell. Please tell me if that's a dumb idea.

Since I'm going to do the sequel, I needed to set one up with the ending of _this_ story. I've never really done that, so hopefully this 'wrapping things up' chapter doesn't disappoint.

I will post a "HEY THE SEQUEL IS HERE" psuedo-chapter to _Preciosa_ when I publish the first chapter.

Thank you all so much for following this story! And thank you for supporting the idea of a sequel, because I am not ready to give up Maisie, either! Or Gunner or Jasmine, but Maisie is my favorite!


	62. ANNOUNCEMENT

Hey! This is not a real chapter, obviously. This is just to let you know that I put out the first chapter of the sequel, it's titled Siempre!


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